Applications
BBC launches new Live Restart functionality for BBC iPlayer
MUMBAI: BBC has launched Live Restart, which enables audiences to rewind and restart live TV on BBC iPlayer without waiting for the programme to end.
The aim of Live Restart is to ensure that audiences never miss a moment of their favourite BBC TV programmes on their PC. With one click, viewers can either restart the live programme they are currently watching, or scroll back to watch programmes from the previous two hours.
A first in the UK, this new feature builds on BBC iPlayer’s strategy of moving beyond catch-up and make watching live content even better online. With live requests making up over 22 per cent of total BBC iPlayer requests on the PC in April 2012, an increase of 18 per cent on April 2011, the BBC is seeing significant growth in demand for live content on BBC iPlayer.
BBC iPlayer head Dave Price said, “We all know how frustrating it is when you’re stuck in a traffic jam, or delayed on the tube, missing the critical start of your favourite BBC programme. Live Restart solves this by giving audiences control. With one simple click of a button viewers can skip back to the beginning of a live programme, ensuring they never miss a moment of their favourite BBC programmes.”
Later this year, the BBC will bring Live Restart to BBC iPlayer on mobiles, tablets and internet connected TVs, making it even better to watch live TV programmes online on the devices audiences use, when and where they want to.
Launched on December 2007 as a simple catch-up website, BBC iPlayer has helped push TV on demand by offering audiences the opportunity to watch selected TV programmes for up to seven days after broadcast. BBC iPlayer has since evolved, adding more TV programmes; including entire series and films, radio programmes, live TV channels & radio station, programme downloads for offline viewing and personalisation features such as Favourites and recommendations.
Variants of BBC iPlayer optimised for over 500 mobiles, tablets and connected TVs are also available, allowing audiences to catch-up or watch live wherever they are and on whatever device – offering access on the move over 3G and WiFi , or simple & convenient access via broadband on the living room TV.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
