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NBC, FremantleMedia, Youtube team up for ‘America’s Got Talent’
MUMBAI: US broadcaster NBC and the producers of America‘s Got Talent, which kicks off on 1 June, have partnered with online video sharing site YouTube to allow talented acts from across the US to audition online for a shot at performing live on the show.
Till 18 June 2010, talented audition acts can uploaded at www.youtube.com/americasgottalent. From the submissions, the show‘s producers will select 40 acts to be posted on the special AGT YouTube site. The YouTube community will then vote for their favourite acts and the act with the most votes will get to perform on America‘s Got Talent, alongside 11 other YouTube acts chosen by producers.
NBC and Universal Media Studios executive VP, alternative programming Paul Telegdy says, “‘Expect the unexpected‘ has always been core to the success of AGT. This audacious new twist to the audition process offers our viewers not only a priceless golden ticket to get onto the biggest stage in the country in the middle of the competition, but also the opportunity for a thrilling live show where anything can happen. No other show would dare to take on this challenge.”
FremantleMedia US CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz says, “We‘re thrilled for the opportunity to leverage the passion, power and opinion of the YouTube community to help find the next winner of ?America‘s Got Talent”.
This season, the series has traveled to Chicago, Philadelphia, New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, Orlando, Atlanta, and Portland, but the YouTube invitations will exponentially extend the search to find the country‘s freshest and unique talent.
America‘s Got Talent has proven to be an online sensation with some of the most viewed videos on YouTube. From chicken farmer and last season‘s winner Kevin Skinner to Quick Change and Neal Boyd‘s opera performances to little Kaitlyn Maher singing Somewhere Out There.
NBC.com will continue to host the official website for America‘s Got Talent- www.nbc.com/americas-got-talent– and will feature full episodes of the show, weekly video highlights, contestant photos and online voting where fans will be able to vote for the finalists and ultimately the winner.
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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.
