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UTV’s SpotBoy & Virgin Comics in deal to create 4 superhero franchises
MUMBAI: UTV Motion Pictures Plc, through its movie production brand SpotBoy and Sir Richard Branson‘s Virgin Comics have teamed up to form a production relationship to create four original superhero franchises that will be leveraged across publishing, film, animation and gaming. The partnership will kick off with graphic novels to be published worldwide by Virgin with the first comic books to be released by the end of 2007. The new characters and stories will be co-created and co-owned by Virgin and UTV Motion Pictures. Virgin Comics president Suresh Seetharaman and Spotboy creative and business head Vikas Bahl will be managing the partnership and supervising the creative development, informs an official company statement. UTV Motion Pictures Plc chairman Ronnie Screwvala said, “Virgin Comics is an ideal partner as we look to develop new content in the character entertainment space. Their expertise and global resources will allow us to create superheroes that touch the hearts of audiences worldwide.” Virgin Comics CEO, Sharad Devarajan said, “In the same way the West created an age of heroes wearing capes and tights, our goal with UTV Motion Pictures is to redefine the archetype of the superhero and infuse a new sensibility that relates to today‘s Indian youth. Virgin‘s studio of leading Indian artists and writers have already created comics that are being published worldwide and turned into films, games and animation – this new relationship with UTV Motion Pictures is a perfect extension of what we do best and we are thrilled to be working with Ronnie and his team.” “For too long, western superheroes have dominated the stage, but in India, the original mythic characters were born and we are now ready for a re-launch of larger than life heroes that will reflect the ancestral ethos of the region from which they spawn. We expect this partnership with UTV Motion Pictures to launch a whole new universe of heroes and I couldn‘t be more excited,” commented Virgin Comics chief creative officer Gotham Chopra. “At SpotBoy we want to capture the imagination of audiences from all dimensions and mediums. So when we will create stories for all mediums the creative is bound to take a leap.” added Bahl, “Our characters will exist in every creative form.” “It‘s time for a new wave of Indian superheroes to fuel the imaginations and foster the inspirations of the next generation of global kids and teens,” commented Seetharaman.
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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.
