Applications
Comcast in TV Everywhere deal with Scripps
MUMBAI: US cable major Comcast and Scripps Networks Interactive have reached a long-term agreement to expand their relationship in bringing Scripps‘ television networks and their award-winning shows to Comcast‘s Xfinity TV customers throughout the U.S. on more devices.
The multi-year arrangement covers distribution via Comcast‘s linear and on-demand platforms and makes Scripps‘ content available to Xfinity TV customers through online, mobile, and other devices, as well as via Scripps‘ sites and services.
SNI‘s lifestyle networks include HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel and Great American Country, with highly rated shows such as “House Hunters,” “Chopped,” and “Hotel Impossible.”
Comcast executive VP of content acquisition Gregory Rigdon said, “This agreement with Scripps Networks underscores our commitment to TV Everywhere and our desire to use the latest technologies and rapid pace of innovation to deliver the best content to Xfinity TV customers wherever and whenever they want to watch it”.
With the growing consumer use of time shifted and on-demand viewing, the agreement provides for increased distribution of Scripps‘ content through Comcast‘s video-on-demand services. Additionally, the new contract includes the use of Comcast‘s advanced advertising platforms, such as dynamic ad insertion, to support programmers‘ efforts to monetise their content both during the Nielsen measurement window and thereafter.
SNI executive VP of distribution strategy Henry Ahn said, “This agreement benefits our viewers and Comcast customers, making available on multiple platforms – both in home and out of home – our lifestyle programming that viewers are so passionate about.”
Applications
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.
