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MTV in content, advertising alliance with Chinese search engine Baidu
MUMBAI: US broadcaster MTV has announced a content and advertising alliance with Chinese search engine Baidu.com. |
The new strategic partnership will give China’s 123 million Internet users easy access to 15,000 hours of MTV and Nickelodeon original video content and music videos licensed by five top Chinese and Asian music companies for online viewing or download through www.baidu.com. As part of the agreement, MTV will provide the first-ever branded area featured on Baidu – MTV Zone, which will include advertising at launch by Motorola and P&G. This deal extends MTV China’s digital media position, where MTV claims to have 100 per cent reach of the country’s mobile subscribers through partnerships with China Mobile and China Unicom. MTV International president Bill Roedy commented, “This breakthrough relationship with Baidu delivers Chinese audiences a major digital platform for non-stop, 24-hour access to MTV and Nickelodeon programming content for the first time – from SpongeBob SquarePants, to Pimp My Ride, to MTV China’s local original programming like MTV Tian Lai Cun and MTV Music Wire. This alliance with China’s number one Internet search engine is also a key milestone in our digital media position in China and advances our long-term commitment to expanding our brands and local content in China.” Baidu.com chairman and CEO Robin Li said, “We are excited to expand our powerful online entertainment platform at Baidu through this first-of-its-kind alliance with MTV Networks. With a diverse offering of original programming, animation and music, Chinese users will be able to experience high quality entertainment on MTV Zone. Content owners and artists will be compensated through this revenue share agreement, which also offers exciting new opportunities for advertisers to reach the online youth demographic in China. We look forward to working with MTV Networks to build on this partnership over the long-term.” |
MTV China will provide four categories of content for MTV Zone on Baidu’s portal, including: – MTV China’s locally produced shows such as Music Wire, Tian Lai Cun, MTV Chart Countdown, MTV English, MTV Mega Star and live music events. – MTV hit reality shows including Pimp My Ride, Cribs and Laguna Beach. – Nickelodeon’s shows, including SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer, as well as live action series Unfabulous and Drake and Josh. – Music videos from four Chinese labels, as well as one Asian label. Content will vary in length, from 10 minutes to 30 minutes. Internet users will be able to access the high-resolution video content via viewing online, as well as downloading using Baidu’s BaiduXsetup software that enables fast downloading. Some downloaded content will require payment, such as music videos, while most will be downloadable free of charge after viewing advertisements. MTVN, Baidu, and where applicable, the record labels, share the revenues. MTV and Baidu will also share ad revenues. Motorola and Procter & Gamble’s Rejoice brand have signed on as the first advertisers of MTV Zone downloads. In addition, MTVN has signed licensing agreements with four of the top music companies in Mainland China, including EE Media, Modern Sky, Music Nation and Ocean Butterflies to enable MTVN to distribute music videos for emerging and established artists. These include Jeff Chang, JJ Lin, Aaron Kwok, Wang Rong, New Pants and others. Music video content will also be available from indie label Avex Group, which represents many artists with strong pan-Asian appeal, such as Japan’s Ayumi Hamasaki, Boa, and Namie Amuro; Mainland China’s He Jie; and Taiwan’s Cindy Wang and Show Lo. Additional agreements to offer videos from local and international artists will be announced soon. MTV adds that it has many agreements around the world to make its content available on multiple platforms, including the Internet, mobile phones and portable devices. Internet partnerships include companies such as AOL, Google Video, iTunes and Amazon, among others, for MTV, Nickelodeon and the company’s other leading brands. |
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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.
