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Disney signs VoD deal in Germany
MUMBAI: Disney‘s international TV distribution arm Buena Vista International Television (BVITV) has concluded a multi-year agreement with German video-on-demand (Vod) operator HanseNet.
The German firm will air a selection of upcoming, current and library movies from BVITV‘s portfolio on its new set top box VOD and TV service Alice homeTV.
With this agreement, Alice homeTV‘s customers will be able to enjoy a selection of current and upcoming features from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films via the new set top box service.
Titles include The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, its upcoming sequel The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man‘s Chest. The agreement also includes recent titles such as Flightplan and Cinderella Man. Subscribers will also be able to enjoy a selection of library features, and a selection of local German acquisitions such as Die Wilden Kerle 3.
The agreement also includes provisions for co-operation between BVITV and Alice against piracy of BVITV‘s content, while at the same time appropriately safeguarding the privacy of Alice‘s service subscribers and remaining consistent with local law. Under the agreement, Alice will forward notices to its internet subscribers allegedly engaged in the unauthourised distribution of BVITV‘s copyrighted works, without identifying the subscribers to BVITV.
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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.
