4TRADERS – Feb 6 – Meetic 2012 consolidated annual revenue totalled Eu 164.8M, down 7.5% YOY. Revenue for the Q4 2012 came to Eur 42.0M. The Group had 768,572 subscribers at 31st Dec 2012, versus 762,099 a year ago. 2012 marketing expense totalled Eur 77.6M or 47.1% of revenue, compared to Eur 92.5Mand 52.0% of revenue in 2011. Profitability significantly improved in 2012, with EBITDA Eur 36.8M.
Month: February 2013
Lulu: The Girls-Only App For Dating Intelligence
MARKETWATCH – Feb 5 – Girls only mobile app Lulu for private reviews and recommendations of guys has been a runaway success in its private, invitation-only launch at Florida State University (FSU) and the University of Florida (UF) in January 2013. ~60K female students have already downloaded Lulu and checked out guys' profiles more than 12 million times. To date, 140K reviews have been created. Only girls can create and read reviews of the guys they know. Lulu CEO and Founder Alexandra Chong says the new app is a natural evolution from Luluvise.com, which she launched in December 2011. Chong raised $1M in 2011.
Dan Slater & Sam Yagan On Bloomberg
OPW – Feb 6 – Dan is a former Wall Street Journal reporter who wrote Love In The Time Of Algorithms after a 2 year immersion in the iDating industry. Here he is on Bloomberg, along with Sam Yagan, CEO Match.com.
Dan Slater Interview
Q: What inspired you to write a book about online dating?
A: I become single at the age of 31. I started using online dating and
also found out my parents met through a computer dating service in the
'60s. I went to iDate in 2011 to learn about the business and wrote an
article in GQ, which became a launching pad.
Q: You take the position that online dating threatens monogamy.
A: People
who are in relationships, which aren't fantastic, might have stayed
together before. Online dating makes it easier to leave and find someone
better.
Q: Do you think the dating algorithms help to create better matches?
A: I believe online dating is getting better at predicting who would get along on a first date.
Q: Do you agree marriage will become obsolete?
A: No. People who are in successful marriages
will tell you that marriage is one of the best things that has ever
happened in their lives.
Q: With the announcement of Facebook's Graph Search, how do you think that will affect the traditional online dating sites?
A: It will help the industry. Once people experience dating on Facebook,
it sends society a huge message that any stigma attached to this is now
gone.
Q: What's next for Dan Slater?
A: I'm a journalist and I want to write. I will now be a lifetime follower of the industry and who the players are as well.
Seniors And Romance
LEXINGTON PATCH – Feb 4 – Just as we have distinct memories of our earliest feelings of affection, we also retain the ability to develop new romantic attachments in old age. For many, the death of a spouse or significant other can leave one partnerless, with decades of life ahead. As more people find themselves in this position, the market for senior dating and courtship grows. According to Mark Brooks the number of seniors joining dating web sites has been sharply on the rise since 2003, increasing every year at a double digit rate. This probably has much to do with the fact that people are living longer, healthier lives, as well as the expanding reach of technology into our lives.
by Joanne Parsons
See full article at Lexington Patch
Match.com Survey: What Singles Want
Jetstar Airlines Partners With RSVP For Love Flight
THE AUSTRALIAN – Feb 5 – A plane with a group of 28 selected single passengers will fly from Sydney to the Gold Coast on Feb 14 in their search for romance. The group have been selected for the flight via an application process hosted on RSVP site. There will be speed dating over champagne and breakfast, group activities and a three-course lunch at SkyPoint on the Gold Coast. Jestar isn't the first airline to play mile-high matchmaker. Last year KLM launched its "meet and greet" service. It links passengers' Facebook and LinkedIn profiles to their check-in information, allowing them to select their neighbor based on similar interests or looks.
by Kate Schneider
See full article at The Australian
Banana Republic Partners With Match.com
SF BUSINESS TIMES – Feb 5 – As part of Banana Republic's new campaign, the retailer is partnering with Match.com to host eight in-store meet and greet events for singles in San Francisco, New York, Chicago and a few other markets.
Insurance Please?
OPW – Feb 5 – I was asked at iDate about insurance for idating companies. What insurance do you use? Please comment so we can learn and share.
‘Singles Around Me’ Finds Singles Nearby
FSUNEWS – Feb 4 – Singles Around Me (SAM) is a social discovery mobile dating app that offers singles the opportunity to meet, chat, flirt and date other singles in their immediate vicinity,” CEO and creator Christopher Klotz said. “It uses geographical mapping to plot the users’ location and the location of other singles, while offering total control over privacy.” SAM claims ~1M subscribers. “Our target audience actually spans across the spectrum from college students upward,” said Klotz.
by Samantha DiDio
The full article was originally published at FSUNews, but is no longer available.