Applications
NBCU promotes Dumeay, Burnett to expand pay-TV channels
MUMBAI: Laurent Dumeau and John Burnett have been promoted to new roles to support the continued expansion of NBC Universal’s international pay-TV channels.
The announcement was made by Universal Networks International and Digital Initiatives president Roma Khanna to whom they now report. The appointments are effective immediately.
Dumeau is appointed VP, global affiliate sales. In his new role, Laurent will have oversight of global affiliate sales and strategy, working closely with local and regional managing directors.
Burnett is VP, commercial operations and will now control and manage Universal Networks’ continued growth plan including the planning and delivery of new channels and other key commercial projects across all regions.
The focus for these two new roles will be to set a commercial and strategic framework for Universal Networks International’s ongoing expansion towards 100 channels.
Khanna commented, “Laurent and John’s newly focussed global roles will ensure we deliver on our aggressive and exciting growth plans for 2010 and beyond. Their combined experience will be central to providing great service and support to our affiliates and customers across all our territories.”
The appointments follow the recent unveiling of Universal Networks International’s five revitalised core channel brands to deliver compelling quality content to audiences across the world. The first core channels to launch in January 2010 were Syfy Universal in France and 13th Street Universal in Australia to great local audience acclaim. Further Q1 brand launches include Syfy Universal in Benelux and Spain and Universal Channel in Africa, the number one international channel in the region.
Concurrently, Universal Networks continues its rollout of HD channels as a strategic priority in 2010, having already launched in UK, France, Japan and Portugal.
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.
