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Warner creates digital production venture to make content for broadband, mobile
MUMBAI: The Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTG) is establishing a new digital production venture Studio 2.0. This will work with creative talent and advertisers to create original live-action and animated short-form programming for broadband and wireless devices. |
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WBTVG has tapped producer and senior advertising executive Rich Rosenthal to head Studio 2.0. These announcements were made by WBTG president Bruce Rosenblum. The venture will be overseen by WBTG executive VP Craig Hunegs. Studio 2.0 will provide a creative platform for the Television Group’s established as well as up-and-coming talent to produce content of varying lengths – from multiple-episode series to one-offs. Rosenthal will actively align Studio 2.0 with advertisers seeking early identification and involvement with original programming. They will develop projects through independent creative resources as well as through the various in-place Warner Bros. Television Group production arms. Studio 2.0 will look to license the programming to online sites, portals and wireless providers in collaboration with the recently formed Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. |
Rosenblum says, “What has become eminently clear is that our advertising partners in our traditional television businesses are anxious to work in collaboration with the creative community to develop original digital content. “At our core, we are a content creation company and Studio 2.0 is a natural, yet extraordinarily exciting, extension of our television production businesses. We are confident that Rich and Studio 2.0 will successfully provide advertisers with cutting edge tools that will integrate their brands with inventive digital content in fresh, impactful and meaningful ways. “At the same time, Studio 2.0 will present our creative partners in our television production divisions with a vibrant platform to express their vision in expanding digital arenas and allow us to collaborate with Simon Kenny (President, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution) and his team on terrific content for digital distribution.” Hunegs says, “Rich’s breadth of advertising experience, both as a creative and production exec, and the wide array of advertisers, brands and companies for which he has created, make him the ideal choice to run Studio 2.0. It is a coup to have him join us”. Time Warner Global Marketing, the cross-divisional client partnerships arm of Time Warner, will work closely with Rosenthal and Time Warner advertising clients. |
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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.
