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Warner creates animated version of ‘Smallville’ for mobile
MUMBAI: The Warner Bros. Television Group in the US and The CW Network have teamed up with mobile firm Sprint for a new shortform animated wireless series based upon the drama Smallville. In India Smallville airs on Star World. |
Smallville Legends: The Oliver Queen Chronicles is a six-episode animated wireless series created for the mobile and broadband environment. It premiered a few days ago on the Sprint TV mobile video service. A new episode will launch every Thursday and remain exclusive to Sprint for the six-week duration of the series. After Sprint‘s exclusive window, the entire wireless animated series will be available for streaming at www.CWTV.com, the online home of The CW Network from 22 February 2007. The initiative marks the first time Warner Bros. and The CW have created original animated content as a marketing platform to help drive tune-in for the Smallville television series. |
Warner Bros. Television Group executive VP, worldwide marketing Lisa Gregorian says, “Our goal at Warner Bros. Television is to look for unique, innovative ways to entertain and engage our fans, resulting in a deeper connection to our shows and providing value to our broadcast partners. The producers of Smallville recently introduced the new character of Oliver Queen, who arrives in Smallville to continue his covert quest for justice in the guise of the super hero Green Arrow. Possessing phenomenal skills with a high-tech bow and arrow, Queen learns Clark has super powers and tries to recruit him in his current mission against Lex Luthor, Queen‘s former schoolmate. It is the fascinating back story to this new plotline that unfolds in the animated wireless series Smallville Legends: The Oliver Queen Chronicles. Viewers will go on a journey back in time to experience the pivotal events that led to a young Oliver Queen becoming Green Arrow. |
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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.
