Applications
Times Internet in a deal with Canada-based Poynt Corp
MUMBAI: In order to make Canada-based Poynt Corp‘s mobile local search services applications available in the Indian market, Times Internet has inked a deal with the company. The new entity will be known as TimesPoynt.
Though the size of the account is unknown, the new entity will make its applications available on J2ME devices, Nokia, iPhone, Android and BlackBerry smartphones beginning in the first quarter of 2011.
Said Times Internet Limited chief executive officer Rishi Khiani, “The Poynt application is an excellent opportunity for both the companies to collaborate to provide mobile local search services to the Indian market”.
Times and Poynt Corp will establish and manage a local version of the TimesPoynt application that will initially feature sections for local restaurants, nightlife, movies, events, weather and mapping.
“The ability of its technology to provide such rich content to basic handsets, the expanding geographic footprint and support for multiple device platforms is an excellent fit to expand our own product portfolio. We are looking forward to a long and profitable relationship with Poynt,” Khiani added.
The Times of India Group is expected to use its traditional and online media properties comprehensively to create awareness and push the adoption of the application among the 670 million mobile users in India.
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.
