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BBC Worldwide in content deal with Amazon.com
MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC‘s commercial arm BBC Worldwide and BBC World are partnering with online retail giant Amazon.com in the US to provide nearly 400 hours of content for Amazon Unbox- a new digital video download service. |
BBC programming spanning genres including comedy, drama, science fiction, documentaries and news will be available to download to rent, with numerous titles making their US digital premiere. Customers will be easily directed to BBC content through various routes. In addition to being able to seek BBC content using the Amazon Unbox search engine on the home page, various BBC links will also be featured on the home page to take customers directly to dedicated BBC pages. |
BBC Worldwide VP, programme management and digital media, Americas Beth Clearfield, says, “We are confident that Amazon customers will enjoy discovering new BBC programs as well as finding their favorites via this new technology, and will be enthralled by the breadth of BBC programming now accessible to them on Amazon Unbox. “We continue to explore different avenues to share our content with an expanding audience, and are delighted to participate with Amazon.com in the launch of this exciting new platform.” BBC Worldwide director digital media, Simon Danker says, “We are thrilled to be part of this service and the growth of BBC Worldwide‘s Digital Media business is a key part of the company‘s overall strategy. Following this deal, we‘ll be working with partners globally to maximise our presence in this arena.” Key titles from BBC Worldwide making a digital premiere in the US include shows like Little Britain, Keeping Up Appearances, League of Gentlemen and Yes, Minister. There wil also be Jane Austen period dramas Emma, Mansfield Park and Jane Eyre as well as documentary series Blue Planet, Life of Birds and Walking with Dinosaurs. There will also be drama series such as House of Cards and Miss Marple. Other titles include Ripping Yarns and Shakespeare with Macbeth, A Midsummer‘s Night Dream and Romeo & Juliet plus BBC titles from Independents such as Coupling (Hartswood Films), Ballykissangel (BallyKea/World Productions)and In The Footsteps of Alexander The Great (Maya Vision). |
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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.
