Applications
FremantleMedia launches ‘The Pet Collective’ channel on YouTube
MUMBAI: Television format creator and distributor FremantleMedia has launched its first-ever YouTube channel, “The Pet Collective,” featuring new series and programming available exclusively on YouTube.
The Pet Collective is part of YouTube’s initiative to create new channels of programming, and is produced by FremantleMedia to celebrate pets and pet lovers through entertainment, information and involvement.
At launch, “The Pet Collective” will offer seven original new, short-form series with new content added daily, for more than 20 hours of programming in its first three months.
“The Pet Collective underscores our commitment to produce original, quality programming for evolving media platforms, Fremantle says.
The channel also brings together three core divisions of FremantleMedia’s business – FremantleMedia North America, FremantleMedia Enterprises and FremantleMedia Cross Platforms (FMX) – to leverage their combined expertise, assets and busi-ness strategies to engage with consumers, advertisers and distribution partners.
In response to growing changes in the content-distribution marketplace, the emergence of new online platforms, and new ways of reaching audiences, ”The Pet Collective” will bring together originally, professionally produced programming, expert opinions and advice, pet health and wellness tips, content from celebrity pet lovers, and real-life animal stories. It will also feature robust social-media content through Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
FremantleMedia US CEO Cécile Frot-Coutaz says, “FremantleMedia is a global creative powerhouse that develops brands that extend well beyond TV. We’re really excited to bring our high-quality storytelling and production expertise to a subject matter like pets that is close to everyone’s hearts, and we’re proud to be delivering informative and innovative content that offers a compelling new form of engagement with international audiences.”
FremantleMedia Enterprises CEO Americas Keith Hindle said, “From our many audition programs to numerous partner channels, FremantleMedia has a longstanding relationship with YouTube. ‘The Pet Collective‘ takes that partnership to a new level, securing our place at the forefront of online content development and creating new opportunities to monetise our content and build our brands.”
The initial lineup of original programming on “The Pet Collective” includes:
• The Litter – Narrated by animal lover and activist Khloé Kardashian Odom, The Litter is an adorably cute and informative series that follows a litter of six newborn kittens and their mother during an eight-week period.
•Growing Up Wild – Bindi and Robert Irwin continue the legacy of their father, adventurer Steve Irwin, by educating and informing audiences about the animals who share their day-to-day lives. Each episode introduces one of their treasured pets – and broadens our knowledge of the animal kingdom
• The Unadoptables – Designed to inspire a movement toward responsible pet purchasing and ownership, The Unadoptables focuses on different kinds of “unadoptable” pets – from black cats and senior animals to pets with special needs that have trouble finding a home.
• Kitten on a Keyboard – Feline host Anime Lillipuss greets viewers from her office in the Pet Collective building, leading them through the best, funniest, silliest, most inspiring and amazing content to be found on The Pet Collective in the news and across the web.
• Pet Sense – Animal communicator Michelle Childerley reaches out from her home in Cam-bridge, England, to help get Americans’ pet relationships on track.
• Master and Pet – An original scripted comedy series about a young woman and the pet cat that is her best friend, co-conspirator and therapist.
• David Lehre’s Hollywood Animals – YouTube star and innovative director David Lehre drops in on his celebrity friends to find out about their relationships with their pets.
FremantleMedia claims that its content on YouTube has garnered more than 4.2 billion views to date since the start of its collaboration with YouTube, with more than 2 billion views in 2011 alone. Driving those views are viral videos from global entertainment shows including ‘The X Factor‘ from both the UK and Australia; ‘Korea’s Got Talent’s Sung Bong Choi audition; American Idol’s Chris Medina audition; and ‘Family Feud‘ with host Steve Harvey.
Other popular videos include the audition of Susan Boyle for ‘Britain’s Got Talent‘, which has achieved more than 300 million views in aggregate, and Jackie Evancho’s audition for America’s Got Talent,which propelled the 10-year-old singing sensation to stardom after auditioning for the show through a season-long partnership with YouTube.
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.
