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BBC Worldwide secures first S-DMB deal in Asia
MUMBAI: To say that BBC is bullish on Asia would be stating the obvious. Continuing to mark its presence in the region, BBC Worldwide has become one of the first UK distributors to provide entertainment content to an Asian mobile television broadcaster‘s S-DMB (Satellite Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) service. The deal was announced at the BBC Showcase in Brighton and allows the customers of Tu Media to watch 39 hours of Top Gear programming through in-car devices or gadgets such as mobile phones, laptops, and personal digital cameras. Launched in May 2005, Tu Media‘s S-DMB service is said to attract over one million subscribers. |
The deal with Tu Media includes all programmes from Top Gear‘s 2004-05 and 2005-2006 series.BBC show Top Gear is available in well over 100 countries worldwide, reaching more than 138 million households globally. |
BBC Worldwide Senior TV Sales Manager, Asia Linfield Ng, said: “Digital media is a huge growth area for our business. I‘m delighted that BBC Worldwide has brokered this exciting deal, which combines one of South Korea‘s most important new broadcasting technologies with one of the BBC‘s most popular titles.” TU Media Contents Acquisition Director Gidu Kim added: “As the high quality our S-DMB service continues to attract over 1000 new subscribers every day, it‘s crucial that TU Media consistently offers our customers the best programming available. Today‘s deal does exactly that – 43 hours of what we believe to be the world‘s premier motoring programme, and just the start of what I hope will be a long relationship with BBC Worldwide.” |
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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.
