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Network18 rejigs Web18 management, Narasimhan is CEO
MUMBAI: Network18 has announced a senior management re-alignment of its web, mobile and digital convergence businesses.
The company has moved Lakshmi Narasimhan, who was heading Infomedia18, to head Web18 as CEO. Narsimhan will replace Surya Mantha, who has been given the charge of convergence initiatives at Network18.
Mantha will be re-designated as executive director, Convergence, Network18. His mandate, the company said in a statement, will be to unlock value by “leveraging the digital and community building opportunities” across the group’s TV and print brands.
Straddling across TV18, IBN18 and Infomedia18 media assets, the role will further focus on new convergence initiatives for the group.
Web18 runs web portals including Moneycontrol.com, In.com, Ibnlive.com and a host of web based services and applications such as bookmyshow and markets on mobile.
Network18 group CEO Haresh Chawla said, “With this re-alignment, Network18 aims to establish independent focus on its fast-expanding web and mobile business and at the same time ensure that all its offline media assets are leveraged digitally.”
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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.
