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I-Media acquires online auction firm Bidchaser
MUMBAI: Integrated Media Holdings (I-Media) has acquired global online auction and e-commerce company Bidchaser. I Media builds and operates digital communications and media technologies businesses. The acquisition was completed through a 100 per cent share exchange with a Florida corporation owned by I-Media. |
According to an official release, Bidchaser has already begun generating revenues from its newest e-commerce merchant services and e-commerce portal. The acquisition gives I-Media an e-commerce platform and a number of other critical technologies and business processes that significantly augment the entire I-Media Group‘s current capabilities. “This transaction will significantly reduce I-Media‘s overall cost of our development and sales, while immediately improving our balance sheet by adding some important software assets,” said I-Media CEO Paul D Hamm. The acquisition of Bidchaser gives I-Media its third wholly-owned high-tech subsidiary, joining Endavo Media and Communications and WV Fiber in the I-Media Group, informs the statement. |
Cunha said, “Bidchaser is excited to be a part of the I-Media group. The combined resources, expertise, and strategic vision in the digital commerce marketplace shared by Bidchaser and I-Media will make this a rapidly successful and profitable venture.” |
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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.
