Month: June 2020
The Meet Group Gains New Strength With Innovations in Interactive Dating
INVESTORPLACE – June 30 – Blind dating gets a modern upgrade, making MEET stock a potential winner even amid the pandemic. The Meet Group has recently announced the rollout of an interactive game known as Blind Date. This will be an addition to The Meet Group's popular NextDate game, which "is like speed dating, except that there's an audience and the contestant gets to choose the specific people they'd like to connect with," according to CEO Geoff Cook. The Blind Date game will be integrated into The Meet Group's MeetMe, Skout, and Tagged. It will also be integrated into Match Group's Plenty of Fish. Blind Date should serve to increase user engagement. MEET stock could easily reclaim its former high point as the company's innovative spirit could bring people back into the dating game again.
As Video Dating Soars, Diller’s Match Spinoff Can Make Investors A Killing
FORBES – June 29 – Tinder is now the number one downloaded dating app worldwide, while products like OkCupid and PlentyofFish make up Match's 9.9M paid users up from 4M in 2015. The Spinoff of Diller's 80% stake in Match could not have come at a better time for the dating app company, as it expertly morphs into video dating. If successful, it will roll out its new-era live camera dates across the group's brands, as singles' desire for interaction grows. The transaction will allow IAC to clean its balance sheet by transferring all debt (~$1.9B) to the Spinoff and end up holding $2.9B in cash. Currently, Diller and his family collectively own a 6.9% stake in IAC. His personal economic stake in MTCH ensures that he has an incentive to keep the company’s growth prospects intact. With a ~5% stake post-Spin (considering a distribution ratio of ~2.37x), a large portion of his net worth will be tied to MTCH.
Dating Apps in Balkan
BALKAN INSIGHT – June 29 – Like the rest of the world, the Balkans has seen a rise in the use of dating apps during the pandemic, with data showing the length of daily conversations is increasing. While Tinder is the most popular dating app across Europe, in Romania and Bulgaria it is Badoo that is used the most. Created in 2006 by Russian entrepreneur Andrey Andreev, Badoo now has ~450M users globally, with daily messages sent between users exceeding 350M. "Our data shows that more conversations are happening now, with increases of up to 35%," said Tristan Pineiro, Badoo's global head of communications. In other Balkan countries, dating apps are used more sparingly. One such place is North Macedonia, where the use of dating apps like Tinder are still frowned upon. For some, Instagram functions as a dating app instead.
India’s Matrimony Portals Come of Age With Video Calls and Zoom Call Weddings
by Sanchita Dash
See full article at Business Insider
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Yale Student Creates ‘OKZoomer,’ a Dating Site Amid Pandemic
THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS – June 28 – When Ileana Valdez, a junior at Yale University, found out she wouldn't be going back to campus after spring break due to the COVID-19 outbreak, she and her friends created a dating site, OKZoomer. The site matches subscribers based on personality; each person fills out a questionnaire and photos are not included. Every Saturday night they find out who their matches are. Then they go on Zoom dates. "We call it 'Zooking up,'" Valdez said. "They can only Zook up. They can't see each other in person. You have to have actual conversations."
Video Matchmaking App Yidui Completes Series B Financing Led by Sky9 Capital
GLOBE NEWSWIRE – June 26 – Yidui, the video matchmaking platform in China, has completed a Series B round of financing led by Sky9 Capital and Xiaomi. Launched in 2018, the company has ~40M users and has raised $100M to date. Yidui provides an innovative dating experience, where the date is moderated by a third person – a "matchmaker" – who facilitates the conversation. The date is live-streamed and the audience can comment and live-chat with the matchmaker. Yidui's 10M matchmakers arrange 40M dates a month. Sky9 Capital is an early-stage focused venture capital firm investing in internet, enterprise and deep-tech sectors in China.
See full article at Globe Newswire
This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com
Shaadi Removes Skin Colour Filter
INDIA TV NEWS – June 26 – Previously, the matrimonial website asked users to search for their partners on the basis of skin descriptions like 'fair,' 'wheatish,' and 'dark.' Shaadi.com has removed the skin colour search filter after thousands of people signed an online petition. ~1,500 signatures were made within 14 hours.
Spark: New Creativity-Focused Dating App Picks Canada for Global Debut
NEWSWIRE – June 24 – Canadian singles are the first in the world to get to try Spark, a new dating app designed for people who wish online dating offered more opportunity for self-expression and creative connection. Spark app is the latest product from Spark Networks. The company designed Spark around the concept of 'frames.' These include photo filters and interactive question cards that allow users to curate a unique profile, and match with others on what matters to them. Spark has now successfully launched in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg, and the team aims to significantly increase Spark's presence across Canada throughout the summer.
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