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CCTV goes live in the UK with three Internet delivered channels
MUMBAI: Vision IPTV has announced the launch of the first dedicated Chinese language channels to use the company’s Internet broadcast playout services, delivering entertainment via FreeviewHD channel 111.
Vision IPTV provides a solution to clients wanting to create TV and video services for connected audiences worldwide.
Through this service, China Central Television (CCTV), the largest TV network in China, is able to use the FreeviewHD electronic programme guide (EPG) to deliver new channels to the Chinese speaking audience in the UK.
Viewers visiting FreeviewHD Channel 111 with an Internet connected television or set-top box have access via an onscreen carousel to three, free to view channels of live 24/7 broadcast. CCTV.
Channel 9 broadcasts a mixture of programming including film and drama; CCTV Channel 4 provides a range of cumentaries; while a third channel provides the latest news coverage from China and worldwide.
CCTV deputy editor in chief Zhu Tong said, “This is an exciting day for us, by delivering the very best and latest compelling television from China to our UK audience we hope to make them feel closer to home, even when they live on the other side of the world.”
Vision IPTV CEO John Mills said: “CCTV has embraced the opportunity that internet television delivered over Freeview HD represents; to deliver high quality, world class broadcasting to the Chinese expat audience in the UK, and all for free.”
Vision IPTV‘s online video platform supports the latest FreeviewHD enabled television sets and set-top boxes on the market, including forthcoming YouView set-top boxes, ensuring broadcasters such as CCTV can deliver compelling new TV services to wider audiences in the UK.
Legacy devices or FreeviewHD devices not connected to the internet will receive a call to action message displayed on screen advising users on what is required to view these new Internet delivered channels.
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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.
