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BBC Worldwide licenses shows to Yahoo!7 in Australia
MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide Australia has concluded a significant deal with Yahoo!7, licensing more than 20 titles to its Catch-Up TV service, Plus7.
The ongoing deal will see future quality BBC content air on the service, either in catch-up following transmission on the Seven Network, or as part of Plus7‘s dedicated library of TV shows.
Yahoo!7 is a 50:50 joint venture between the Seven Network and Internet major Yahoo!.
The initial deal features the dramas Doctor Who, Torchwood and comedies like The Catherine Tate Show and Little Britain.
Classic comedy programmes Fawlty Towers and The Young Ones also feature, alongside factual programmes such as Louis Theroux: The City Addicted to Crystal Meth and Walking with Dinosaurs.
BBC Worldwide Australia digital sales manager Louisa Bayles said, “We are passionate about reaching new audiences with our diverse programming through digital platforms and look forward to sharing these enduring television favourites with PLUS7 viewers”.
Yahoo!7 director of audience Kath Hamilton adds, “We know our audience loves being able to catch-up on their favourite TV shows. Yahoo!7‘s PLUS7 service has seen more than 12.7 million full episode streams since it launched earlier this year and we are proud to be the number one TV website in Australia. The deal with BBC Worldwide Australia means that we can deliver even more quality content. I‘m confident that shows like Doctor Who and comedy favourites like Fawlty Towers and Catherine Tate Show will have our audience engaged. New and old fans alike will now be able to experience the best of the BBC on Yahoo!7”.
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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.
