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Netflix’s new launches in the Nordic region
MUMBAI: Internet subscription service for movies and TV shows Netflix has launched in Finland, culminating a week of events that also introduced Netflix to Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
Ten million broadband households in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden can now subscribe to Netflix and, for one low monthly price, instantly access a wide selection of Hollywood, local and global TV shows and movies via a range of Internet-connected devices, including Smart TVs, game consoles, Blu-ray players, home theater systems, tablets and smartphones.
Netflix co-founder, CEO Reed Hastings said,”We‘ve received a very warm welcome throughout the Nordics and are thrilled by the excitement we have seen for Netflix in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. Initial signups exceeded our expectations; the Nordic people have definitely shown that they are ready for the future of television.”
Netflix is priced at 79kr a month in Sweden, Denmark and Norway and EUR7.99 in Finland. A free, one-month trial of Netflix is available by visiting Netflix.com. An extended trial is available for a limited time to paying Spotify subscribers as part of a launch partnership with the music streaming company.
At launch, Netflix is offering movies and TV shows from many different providers, including Warner Bros, Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures Entertainment, BBC Worldwide, CBS Studios, ITV Studios Global Entertainment, Shine International, Nordisk Film Distribution, AB Svensk Filmindustri, Scanbox Entertainment and Norsk Filmdistribujon.
Among the thousands of hours of great movies and TV shows available at launch are recent big screen hits such as The Expendables and Happy Feet 2. Previous full seasons of American shows such as How I Met Your Mother, Breaking Bad, The Vampire Diaries, Arrested Development, Dexter, Spartacus and The Walking Dead will be available to Netflix members as well as full seasons of British TV including The Inbetweeners and Sherlock. Other titles include a wide-range of documentaries, art house movies and classics ranging from Being Elmo, A Clockwork Orange to There Will Be Blood. Kids titles available at launch include High School Musical 1 & 2, Shaun the Sheep and Babar.
In addition to the slate of international viewables, there are also local titles available on Netflix in the Nordic countries. These include:
- Danish movies such as Submarino, Flammen & Citronen, Pusher Trilogy and prizewinning Festen, previous full seasons of Danish favourites including Klovn.
- Finnish titles including Iron Sky and Kolme assaa
- Norwegian favourites including Lilyhammer, Julenatt I Blafjell and Tomme tonner.
- Swedish movies such as Flickan, I taket lyser stjarnorna and Maria Larssons eviga ogonblick as well as previous full seasons of Swedish TV favorites including Bron and 30 grader i februari
Netflix is fully localised, offering subtitles on foreign language movies and TV shows and dubbing for most kids titles. In the coming months, more great movies and TV shows will be added, building upon the great entertainment choices available today.
The company claims to have over 27 million streaming members throughout the Americas, the UK, Ireland and now the Nordic countries.
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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.
