POF LINKEDIN – Apr 30 – Plenty of Fish is donating a portion of the ad space across their platforms to national charities. POF has initially partnered with Feed the Frontline and Food Banks Canada to help them raise funds, as well as Viacom CBS to promote their #AloneTogether COVID education campaign created with the Ad Council in the US, to help drive awareness during this time. POF is donating $10K to Battered Women's Support Services (BWSS), an organization based in Vancouver that provides education, advocacy and support service to women who need it. POF will be also accepting a limited number of further applications from national charities who want to get the word out – free of charge.
Month: April 2020
Q&A With Zach Schleien of ‘Filter Off’
YOUR STORY – Apr 30 – Dating app 'Filter Off', launched in February 2020 as a video-based app that helps conversations move forward. Zach Schleien, Founder of Filter Off discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting people's dating lives, how video and speed dating are currently trending, and how the 'Filter Off' app is providing international quarantine singles' events.
Q: What was your main aim/goal with Filter Off?
A: To create authentic human connections. It isn’t about swiping and messaging back and forth, but being up-front and seeing if users are a good match.
Q: How do you stand out from other dating apps?
A: "Filter Off" is primarily video first. It allows users to see a person face to face through a video in a 90-second time frame. If they like each other and they match then they can message or FaceTime.
Q: How is 'Filter Off' helping potential couples during the lockdown?
A: We offer three date nights a week, where people meet over video. We are also offering international quarantine single events weekly so singles can date wherever they're located.
Q: What is the user feedback?
A: The feedback has been great. We know that there are areas we can improve upon and that's why we are adding these events. Events help people deal with loneliness and also find a virtual date.
Q: What do you see the future of dating apps to be like?
A: People will be more comfortable using video.
Q: How do you make sure data privacy is ensured through Filter Off?
A: The video is encrypted in transit as well as at rest in storage.
Q: Are there any new exciting developments you are currently working on for the app?
A: We are going to be rolling out international events, religious events, and interest events in the next week or two. We are also doing our first raise, and raising money to really expand the growth of this app. Right now, we are in New York City and UK, and we will be in India very soon.
Spark Networks Reports 2019 Financial Results: Revenue up 44%
PRESS RELEASE – Apr 29 – Spark Networks, the parent company of Zoosk, EliteSingles, Jdate, Christian Mingle, eDarling, JSwipe and SilverSingles, has reported preliminary second half and full year 2019 financial results. "Full year 2019 revenue increased 44% to €149M and Adjusted EBITDA grew 129% to €23M," said Eric Eichmann, CEO of Spark Networks. "Looking ahead to 2020, we are guiding to revenue in the range of $212 to $220Million (€193 to €200M) and Adjusted EBITDA in the range of $30 to $34M (€27 to €31M)," added Bert Althaus, CFO of Spark Networks. Preliminary net loss for 2019 was €16.9M, an increase of €12.7M compared to €4.2Mn in 2018. The increase in net loss is primarily attributable to the Spark Networks / Zoosk Merger, which closed in July 2019.
The Meet Group to Release Blind Date and Second Date to MeetMe and Skout Live
BUSINESS WIRE – Apr 29 – The Meet Group, a leading provider of interactive livestreaming solutions, plans to release two new features to its NextDate dating game, Blind Date and Second Date, on its MeetMe and Skout livestreaming dating apps in the coming weeks. The Meet Group hopes to encourage its users to make connections, find love, and regain a sense of community, all while remaining socially distant. NextDate, a gamified version of speed dating, was introduced to The Meet Group's portfolio of mobile apps in October 2019. Blind Date allows NextDate users to meet and date streamers through a timed video chat. Second Date gives a contestant the chance to have a number of subsequent dates with the streamer during the game, adding a new element to the NextDate experience.
See full article at Businesswire
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The Inner Circle: A Quarter of Singles Have Lied on a Dating App
BUSINESSWIRE – Apr 28 – Ahead of National Honesty Day (30th April 2020), research from dating app The Inner Circle reveals one in 10 (13%) singles would dump someone if they caught them lying. When pressing daters on their own honesty, around a quarter (24%) admitted to having told a 'white lie' to get more matches. While 29% aren't sure why they lied, 25% thought it was harmless. Just 14% admitted to lying to get their match to like them more while the same number (14%) wanted to appear better. The most common lie was telling their matches they exercise more than they do (27%) followed by lying about their age (18%). The research was carried out among 2K members of The Inner Circle in the UK during March 2020.
Hily Is Encouraging Singles to Take Their Profiles More Seriously
78% of Dating App Crush Users Would Still Meet in Person
NEW KERALA – Apr 29 – In a survey of ~4K of its users, dating app Crush reports that 78% of respondents say that they would still choose to meet their matches in person during the quarantine. Among the respondents in favor of in-person meet-ups, 63% are men and 37% are women, indicating that men may be more desperate to meet their matches in person than their female counterparts.
The Top Dating Industry News for Apr 28th
OPW – Apr 28 – Facebook Dating Video, OKCupid Covid-19 Survey, POF NextDate Video Speed Dating.
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Single Democrats Would Not Consider Being in a Committed Relationship With a Trump Voter
BUSINESS INSIDER – Apr 28 – 71% of single Democrats would not consider dating someone who voted for Donald Trump, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Only 47% of Republican and right-leaning respondents said they wouldn't consider dating someone who voted for Hillary Clinton. The most online dating users think political alignment is a "crucial" piece of information about potential partners.
Facebook Dating to Launch Video Dating
by Sarah Perez
See full article at Tech Crunch
Mark Brooks: The Meet Group got video right before most dating apps in the West. They were inspired by Momo in China for one-to-many video and refined it on MeetMe, then acquired and powered up a number of brands around the world with video, including Skout, Tagged, Lovoo and now more recently Growlr. Their platform also powers POF's video (ref: March, 2020 press release). Full Disclosure: TMG are a client of Courtland Brooks
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