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CBS lets viewers test their CSI: Q on the mobile
MUMBAI: From today 1 November viewers of US broadcaster CBS‘ drama CSI: NY can use their mobile phone to play CSI: Q. This is an interactive, live text-messaging game in which audiences test their crime-solving skills by predicting the outcome of the episode, with an eye on winning $10,000. This marks the first time that CBS has applied an interactive text messaging component, previously used on reality programmes and game shows, to one of its prime time dramas. In India the CSI franchise airs on AXN. |
CSI creator and CSI: NY executive producer Anthony Zuiker, who also created the CSI board game, Senses, came up with the idea for CSI: Qand is formulating the questions. He says, “CSI: Q invites viewers to watch CSI: NY in an interactive fashion with a level of game play to track the ‘criminal,‘ ‘science,‘ and ‘intent‘ (motive) of the story. Our goal is to use the mobile phone in an unprecedented fashion to drive viewership back to the television while at the same time enhancing the viewing experience for the CSI fan.” During the CSI: NY episodes being broadcast on CBS on 1, 8, 15 November, an on-air promo will run with one question that asks viewers to predict what will happen at the end of that night‘s episode. Viewers will send their responses via text message to 38383 and will be entered into the drawing to win the weekly prize of $10,000. Additionally, viewers can enter for free by going to the CSI: NY site through CBS.com (where the Official Rules are also posted). |
Each weekly winner will be announced on-air during the following week‘s episode of CSI: NY. The questions will differ for the Eastern, Pacific and Hawaiian time zones. CSI: NY is about forensic investigators who use high-tech science to follow the evidence and solve crimes in the Big Apple. The show stars Gary Sinise, Melina Kanakaredes, Carmine Giovinazzo, Hill Harper, Eddie Cahill and Anna Belknap. |
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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.
