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BBC Worldwide to make Top Gear specials available via Facebook
MUMBAI: Fans of the BBC‘s car show, Top Gear, can now access specials via social network Facebook using a video on demand app from BBC Worldwide. Three of the show‘s most iconic episodes are now available to rent using Facebook credits.
The specials will be staggered throughout the coming weeks and available for users in Europe, the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Once rented, episodes will be available to view for 48 hours. Facebook credits provide a familiar and consistent payment experience. Credits can be purchased within an app, or through the payments tab within the users account settings.
BBC Worldwide runs both the Top Gear Facebook fan page, which has over 8.8 million fans, and The Stig fan page which has over 5 million fans. Combined, they have more fans than inhabitants of Manhattan, which is the final destination of the US Road Trip – the second episode set to air online. It is the 25th largest TV show on Facebook, and the biggest British TV show on Facebook.
Top Gear MD Adam Waddell commented, “Top Gear has amassed a huge following on Facebook with almost 14 million friends following the brand itself and The Stig. We‘re always looking at ways of adding value for the core fans of the show so it‘s entirely appropriate that we should be one of the first TV shows to make its premium content available via Facebook.”
Top Gear is one of BBC Worldwide‘s flagship brands sold in 198 territories 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.
