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KidsCo to enter India via NDTV
MUMBAI: NDTV is building a bouquet of news, niche and English language channels for distribution on digital platforms including DTH and digital cable.
As part of this broad plan, international children‘s channel KidsCo is set to enter India via NDTV. In an exclusive distribution pact, NDTV has agreed to market KidsCo‘s content across all digital platforms.
“KidsCo is going to be a pay channel and is awaiting government clearance for launch. We are ready to roll out the channel once we get the nod,” says NDTV Network distribution and affiliate sales SVP Rohit Lamba.
NDTV has already entered into distribution pacts with France-based Trace Group to launch its urban music and lifestyle channel Trace and with UK commercial broadcaster ITV Global Entertainment‘s Granada TV. Both the channels are yet to get the nod from the government.
“We distribute the NDTV channels on digital platforms while TheOneAlliance takes care of analogue cable. For widening the bouquet, we are targeting third party international English channels that would look at digital distribution. We would have a bundle of pay channels that would be sold on DTH and digital cable,” says Lamba.
As part of this strategy, NDTV will be marketing KidsCo programming including Sonic Underground, The Wiggles, Ned‘s Newt, Rescue Heroes and Nalong Fly to the Sky alongside original programming such as Boo & Me, Boo‘s Sanctuary and Jass Time!.
The deal follows KidsCo‘s strategic expansion across Asia, including recent launches in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Indonesia.
Says KidsCo CEO Paul Robinson¸ “India is a key market for us as we continue our global expansion plan. We are really excited about adding NDTV to our existing partners as it understands that education is at the very top of the agenda for us and has historically built solid relationships with platforms who share this vision. The shows we will be offering are in keeping with our international audience and we anticipate great results.”
KidsCo offers three programming zones of pre-school, kids 6-10 and family, which have been designed to fit audience availability and lifestyle. Programming includes animated and live action content and movies for family-viewing.
Says Lamba, “With digital homes set to cross 50 million in the next two years, there is tremendous untapped potential for quality international channels in the Indian market and KidsCo, with its strong content line-up, will fill this gap.”
On the international front, the NDTV channels are planning to launch on cable networks in the US. They are already beaming across the globe and are on DirecTV, a DTH service provider, in the US.
“We are in talks with Comcast and Time Warner to be on cable in the US,” says Lamba.
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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.
