Applications
MTV launches youth insights portal MTV Play.in
MUMBAI: In a bid to capture the attention of its target audience, MTV, the youth channel from Viacom18 stable, has launched a new website, MTVPlay.in.
The channel claims that the new online destination peeks into the lives of this fickle audience, their thoughts, and even their fears.
“The website design, the lingo and grammar, even the puns signify the attitude and ambitions of the young,” the channel says.
It will be an open network and knowledge share platform where one can get regular SMS feeds, newsletters and youth insights by clicking on the subscribe button.
MTV India head Aditya Swamy says, “With MTV Play, we work with a diverse group of young people on a real time basis, which keeps us plugged into what‘s happening with an 18 year old. And we are happy to share this knowledge with partners, friends and anyone else who might be interested.”
The project has been co-created along with a team comprising 100+ collegians across 10+ cities in India. The youth network can share their views through closed community blogs, wall posts, and videos. The insights will be backed by extensive research by Third Eye Research Agency and MTV Insight Studio.
The website is an ensemble of The ‘Youth Speak‘, a collection of observations and expressions from Youth life.
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.
