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BBC Sport to offer multi-platform coverage of London Marathon in the UK
MUMBAI:The 2011 London Marathon takes place on 17 April and BBC Sport will bring live multi-platform coverage of all the action from the day in the UK.
Sue Barker presents the live TV coverage along with Jonathan Edwards. Denise Lewis and Sonali Shah join the team of reporters for the first time this year – they bring all the action from around the course along with Katharine Merry, Colin Jackson and Phil Jones. Commentary comes from Steve Cram, Brendan Foster, Paul Dickenson and Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson.
Jonathan Edwards also hosts the early evening highlights show on BBC Two. On the BBC Red Button and on the BBC Sport website viewers can choose which race they watch with a choice of commentaries. Then from 12 noon there is continued coverage of the finish, plus an hour‘s additional/extra coverage once network TV finishes.
John Inverdale presents BBC Radio 5 Live‘s coverage of the London Marathon. He is on air with reporters Helen Skelton, George Riley and Anna Foster around the course capturing the unique atmosphere of the race and hearing the personal stories of those taking part.
Expert commentary and analysis of the elite race comes from former British London Marathon winner Charlie Spedding. In addition, listeners can leave their good luck messages for runners, a selection of which will be played out on air.
Marathon fans who visit BBC online at ww.bbc.co.uk/athletics will have access to live streaming of the race as well as text reports, video interviews and reaction. Viewers can catch up on all the programmes for seven days via the BBC iPlayer.
BBC London has live coverage throughout the day from 8am, and additional travel information in the sports programme to assist the many people in the capital as they head home.
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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.
