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Colors launches on Pehla in the Middle East
MUMBAI: Viacom18 has launched its flagship Hindi general entertainment channel Colors on the Pehla satellite packages across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, while firming up plans for other international markets.
The channel has partnered with Arab Digital Distribution Company (ADD), which is the leading DTH player in the region. As per the deal, ADD will also distribute the channel on cable and IPTV in the UAE through e-Pehla packages on E-Vision and on Du, and in Qatar through Q-Tel.
Colors will be available on all three Asian packages offered by Pehla – Pehla Basic, Pehla Silver and Pehla Gold.
The MENA region launch follows Colors‘ roll out in the UK, US (as Aapka Colors) and Australia-New Zealand.
Colors‘ next launch will be in East Africa, followed by South East Asia, North America, Canada and Caribbean region.
“We are looking at spreading our footprint across the globe. We are identifying the hubs where there is a strong Indian population and our launches will be in this belt first,” Viacom18 chief commercial officer and international business head Gaurav Gandhi told Indiantelevision.com.
Colors has already launched in US, UK, Australia-New Zealand and Fiji. “We will very soon launch on cable in East Africa,” Gandhi added.
In the MENA region, ADD will not only distribute but also take care of the channel‘s advertising sales.
“We have signed a multi-year deal with ADD, wherein it will distribute and market the channel,” Gandhi said, without divulging the details of the deal.
ADD packages reach out to more than 1.2 million subscribers across the region on three different bouquets, offering over 60 channels covering different genres of entertainment and infotainment. Pehla, which caters to the Asian diaspora, is one the fastest growing pay television bouquets in the Middle East.
Commenting on the launch of the channel, Viacom18 Group COO and Colors CEO Rajesh Kamat said, “The launch is part of Viacom18’s aggressive growth plans to extend its flagship brand outside India.”
Arab Media Corp (ADD‘s parent company) CFO Abdel Ghani Ali said, “Pehla has continued to maintain a robust year-on-year growth despite the prevailing recessionary conditions, with subscription and advertising revenues clocking $55 million in 2009, riding on premium cricket and the diverse content offering. We expect a further boost for 2010 with Colors and new channel additions likely to drive the growth in subscription and advertising revenues.”
Colors will air its most popular fiction shows including Balika Vadhu, Uttaran, Laagi Tujhse Lagan and Naa Aana Iss Des Laado on the same day of the India telecast. Viewers will also get to see the big ticket reality shows including Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi x 3, hosted by Priyanka Chopra and soon to be launched Bigg Boss Season 4 featuring Salman Khan on the channel.
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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.
