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Walt Disney announces ‘Watch and Chat’
MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Co. will test a “watch-and-chat” feature next week on its ABC Family Channel Web site that lets groups of viewers watch TV shows on the internet and chat about them at the same time. Disney, whose ABC broadcast network was the first to offer free streaming videos of its prime-time shows on the Web, now hopes to build buzz around its ABC Family cable shows through the social networking feature. ABC Family will test the feature on the season finale of its prime-time show “Wildfire” on Monday night. The streaming video of the show will go live on abcfamily.com an hour after it airs on cable, and will be available through April 1. |
The feature lets groups of up to 10 people set up “screening rooms” to watch the episode on laptops and write a running commentary that will appear on one side of the screen. Paul Lee, president of ABC Family Channel, said “Wildfire” was chosen for the test because its audience of predominantly 14- to 28-year-old females is “the most passionate audience of any show on the network.” “There is a new generation here …. They are changing the way people watch TV or use other technology,” Lee said. “When you link (social networking) to TV programming, it‘s almost like word of mouth on steroids. |
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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.
