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US leads spending in animation films: Study
MUMBAI: United States (US) leads the way when it comes to spending in animation, reveals ‘The Global Animation Industry‘, a study carried out by Screen Digest. In the US, Walt Disney Co and Nickelodeon Animation Studios were the largest producers of animation content with 50 and 47 hours of content produced respectively in 2008. Besides, other major companies such as 20th Century Fox Television produced 26 hours of content, Cartoon Network Studios produced content of 23 hours while Warner Bros TV Animation managed to produce 22 hours of animation content in the same period. Although, Canada has emerged ahead of US and France in producing animation content with 382 hours produced in 2008 amounting to $265 million, US still leads with just 330 hours of animation content amounting to $376 million, making it the highest investment made by major animation players in the US, reveals the report. | ||
In Europe, France was the highest producer with 259 hours in 2008, showing a sharp fall from a high of 395 hours in 2006. “There is perhaps no genre of film or television more global than animation. A popular film or TV series in one country can quickly translate into a global phenomenon and success in these primary markets can feed through into DVD and licensing and merchandising revenues,” says Screen Digest senior analyst Tim Westcott. “Animation is costly and time-consuming and a return on investment can be slow to arrive. Programme budget cuts by broadcasters and the flat DVD market can make animation a tough business. Government-run support schemes offering loans and subsidies, tax breaks or other facilities are giving producers in the countries that offer them an increasingly important edge,” Westcott adds. The survey was done among 20 major companies from across eight countries that include Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Canada and USA. Screen Digest, based in London analyses the business of media companies which, includes film, television, broadband, mobile, cinema, home entertainment and gaming. |
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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.
