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William Holt to oversee MTV US’ digital initiatives
MUMBAI: US broadcaster MTV has announced that Courtney William Holt is the group’s executive VP of digital music and media.
A recognised expert in the convergence of new media, music and marketing, Holt will oversee digital initiatives for MTV‘s Music and Logo Group, including the MTV: Music Television, VH1 and CMT music brands; Logo, the network for the LGBT audience; and Urge, the digital music service recently launched to strong industry support.
Holt will partner with the teams who direct the day-to-day operations of each brand’s online and wireless properties such as MTV’s Overdrive, VH1’s VSpot, mtvU’s Uber and CMT’s soon-to-launch Loaded.
Holt joins MTV Networks from Interscope Geffen A&M, where he was executive vice president of new media, creative and strategic marketing. At Interscope Geffen A&M, Holt embraced emerging technology to break new marketing ground, galvanizing communities of fans around top musical artists.
At MTV, Holt will be responsible for continuing to expand the reach of MTV Networks’ premier music brands, engaging audiences across a spectrum of touchpoints – on air, online, on the handset and through its new digital music service.
MTV US president Van Toffler says, “It’s only fitting to have a creative music executive like Courtney – who started his career producing videos that appeared on our channels – join our stable of talent. Courtney’s background and experience is a perfect fit for our brands, which deliver innovative short- and long-form music entertainment that connects with our audience on many screens.”
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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.
