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Blockbuster drops online movie rentals to take on Netflix
MUMBAI: Blockbuster Inc., the online movie rental service, is offering lower priced plans as it competes with Netflix Inc.
Analysts say this move could well make Netflix drop prices, thus reducing its profits. This would make the market even more competitive, growing at more than 40 per cent according to estimates. Blockbuster said it would offer a plan wherein customers can rent three movies at a time for $16.99, a buck cheaper than its most popular offering, called ‘Total Access‘. It said it would offer more limited plans, such as two movies a month for $4.99. Stacey Widlitz, an analyst with Pali Research, said $1 a month might not convince current Netflix customers to switch, “but it will affect the new customers.” |
Netflix does not have an offline presence, but it boasts more online subscribers than Blockbuster. The latter however, is growing faster, say analysts. Blockbuster will lose an undisclosed amount but chief executive John Antioco has said it will be profitable next year as the number of Internet orders are expected to rise. It began the year with 2 million online subscribers and predicts it will have more than 4 million by year end. |
In the first quarter, Blockbuster added 8,00,000 new online subscribers, nearly double of Netflix‘s increase of 4,87,000. Blockbuster and Netflix now could well lock horns over movie streaming, wherein the latter has already made a headstart. Blockbuster had earlier tried acquiring a Movielink, which is owned by major Hollywood studios. |
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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.
