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YouTube in deal with Sony, Universal and Warner
MUMBAI: Online video sharing site has entered into a deal with Sony, Universal and Warner for rental of films.
According to the deal, in addition to the hundreds of free movies available on the site since 2009, users will now be able to find and rent some of their favourite films.
These films include Caddyshack, Goodfellas, Scarface, and Taxi Driver as well as new releases like Inception, The King‘s Speech, Little Fockers, The Green Hornet and Despicable Me.
Movies are available to rent at industry standard pricing, and can be watched with one‘s YouTube account on any computer. The new titles have begun appearing at www.youtube.com/movies; the deal covers 3000 films.
YouTube already hosts movie trailers and showcases a variety of independent films in the Screening Room. Last year it had announced the ability to rent movies from Sundance Film Festival; and this year at Sundance premiered Life in a Day, a documentary film about a single day on earth filmed by thousands of YouTube users, produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Kevin Macdonald.
With 35 hours of video uploaded every minute to YouTube, there‘s a sea of content that can add to the movie experience.
Many movie pages feature YouTube Movie Extras — free behind-the-scenes videos, cast interviews, parodies, clips and remixes from YouTube‘s unique community of content creators. Movie pages also showcase reviews from Rotten Tomatoes, so one can see feedback from critics before deciding what movie to get into. Over time, YouTube will also be adding additional videos and features to YouTube Movie Extras so that fans can get more movies on YouTube.
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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.
