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Star, Artificial Life to develop, distribute mobile games across Asia
MUMBAI: Pan Asian broadcaster Star and Hong Kong based Artificial Life, which provides mobile 3G technology, games and applications, have announced an agreement to jointly develop and distribute mobile games across Asia. |
Under the agreement, Artificial Life will develop a wide range of interactive mobile games, as well as mobile accessories such as wallpapers, ring-tones, video mails and screensavers based on Blackie’s Teenage Club and Lollipop, two hugely popular youth entertainment programmes on Star‘s wholly-owned music channel Channel [V] Taiwan. The mobile products will be jointly promoted and distributed by Star and Artificial Life across the region. Since launch, Blackie’s Teenage Club and Lollipop have attracted a healthy following the parties state. Their dedicated website www.woo.com.tw generates an average of over one million page views per day. |
Artificial Life CEO Eberhard Schoneburg says, ” Star is the most prominent TV network in Asia reaching more than 300 million viewers in 53 countries. We are delighted to cooperate with them to develop mobile games for the Asian markets”. Star executive VP, content Ross Crowley said, “We are delighted to work with Artificial Life to launch Blackie’s Teenage Club- and Lollipop-themed mobile games for the massive youth mobile market in Asia. Going forward, Star will continue to explore opportunities to develop mobile products based on our vast portfolio of compelling content.” |
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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.
