SUN TIMES — July 3 — Forget eHarmony, Match.com or Yahoo Personals. Singles increasingly are turning to niche online dating sites promising to match couples with similar interests, backgrounds or religions. Mark Brooks, whose blog Online Personals Watch chronicles the Internet dating industry, estimates that niche sites now occupy approximately 43% of total market share. Brooks writes that while mainstream sites are stagnating, niche sites continue to grow. People looking to meet Trekkies or truckers can turn to the Passions Network, Sugardaddie.com bills itself as the place where the "classy, attractive and affluent meet", Ave Maria Singles offers a service for hard-line Catholics interested in sacramental marriage and Positivesingles.com is for people staying positive though they've tested positive — for sexually transmitted diseases.
The full article was originally published at Sun Times, but is no longer available.
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Mark, with respect, I don’t see how “niche sites now occupy approximately 43% of total market share”. eHarmony, Match, and Yahoo together make up around 80% of the market.
What sites are you including in your niche quote? Spark’s revenues are $60M or so. They pale when compared with Match or eHarmony (around $300M each).
Who else is in this 43%?
Mark, with respect, I don’t see how “niche sites now occupy approximately 43% of total market share”. eHarmony, Match, and Yahoo together make up around 80% of the market.
What sites are you including in your niche quote? Spark’s revenues are $60M or so. They pale when compared with Match or eHarmony (around $300M each).
Who else is in this 43%?
Forgot to add: how many niche datings sites actually make money (profit)? I would say next to none. We do. Spark does, largely because of JDate carrying their other sites. Who else?
Sure, some might make a (small) living for their owners. But, I mean more than a desk job would pay.
Forgot to add: how many niche datings sites actually make money (profit)? I would say next to none. We do. Spark does, largely because of JDate carrying their other sites. Who else?
Sure, some might make a (small) living for their owners. But, I mean more than a desk job would pay.
The quote was from the NY Times article
See here http://www.onlinepersonalswatch.com/news/singlesnet/index.html
It should be 44% of dating sites are niche dating sites. Not revenue.
The quote was from the NY Times article
See here http://www.onlinepersonalswatch.com/news/singlesnet/index.html
It should be 44% of dating sites are niche dating sites. Not revenue.
Ah, that makes more sense:-) Nothing like reporters misquoting, eh?
90% of these niches sites won’t make it, though…Their respective markets are not large enough to make them work, business-wise.
Ah, that makes more sense:-) Nothing like reporters misquoting, eh?
90% of these niches sites won’t make it, though…Their respective markets are not large enough to make them work, business-wise.
That may be if you measure it in terms of uniques, ie someone who visits 10 dating sites will be counted 10 times. Nice sites out number paid sites 20 to 1 or more. But when you look at it in terms of time spent and total visits, emails sent etc niche sites would be lucky if combined they made up more than 5-10% of the industry. Just ask around, 1 in 2 people are not members of niche sites.
That may be if you measure it in terms of uniques, ie someone who visits 10 dating sites will be counted 10 times. Nice sites out number paid sites 20 to 1 or more. But when you look at it in terms of time spent and total visits, emails sent etc niche sites would be lucky if combined they made up more than 5-10% of the industry. Just ask around, 1 in 2 people are not members of niche sites.