KR-ASIA – Mar 18 – VCs targeting emerging markets don't invest enough in the mobile dating sector – and that's a mistake, says Andy Tian, co-founder of AIG. Lamour is an app that makes video chats the center of its user experience. Launched in June 2019 by Beijing-based firm Asia Innovations Group (AIG), the platform claims to be the most-downloaded social dating app in major emerging markets. In India, Lamour registered 14M users as of Dec 2019, just six months after its local launch, becoming the most downloaded dating app in the country, according to Sensor Tower. Lamour has been at the center of controversies. It was accused of using bots and hiring women to pose as interested users to chat with men and lure them to pay. From Sep 2020, the app has been banned by the Indian government. Lamour had ~60M users as of Dec 2020. 30% of the app revenue comes from subscriptions and the majority of the revenue comes from virtual gifts.
Month: March 2021
People Really Came to Dating Apps to Connect, Tinder CEO Says
CHEDDAR – Mar 18 – Jim Lanzone, CEO of Tinder, discusses why the platform has seen an uptick in engagement during the pandemic and the new initiatives surrounding safety. 19% more messages were sent per day in Feb '21 vs Feb '20. Conversations were 32% longer during the pandemic. GenZ are updating bios nearly three times as often. Bios include more timely topics or popular content.
The Post-Pandemic Future of Online Dating
INSIDEHOOOK – Mar 18 – In short, in the age of COVID-19, all dating is online dating. From the earliest days of the pandemic, people have flocked to dating apps like never before. Dr. Jess Carbino, a former expert for both Tinder and Bumble, talks about what we can expect from dating apps post-pandemic. According to Carbino, the pandemic may have converted the last of the dating app skeptics, and the popularity of the video date represents one of the most significant changes to dating app culture since the start of the pandemic. Carbino doesn't see online dating weathering any significant post-COVID comedown. According to Carbino, so-called "dating app fatigue" has only ever been a veil for more generalized dating frustration, the same kind that has plagued daters for generations. "Rather than saying, 'I'm very tired of dating right now,' they say, 'I'm very tired of online dating,' because that's how they're meeting people," says Carbino.
AI Company Escapes Lawsuit Over Use of OkCupid Photos
REUTERS – Mar 18 – An Illinois federal judge has tossed a proposed class action against AI company Clarifai over its alleged unlawful use of dating profile images to train facial recognition technology, finding the court lacks jurisdiction.
Hinge Partnered With Uncommon Goods to Create a Virtual Date Night Kit
The Meet Group Hosts Webinar With Safer Dating Advisory Board
PRESS RELEASE – Mar 18 - The Meet Group, a leading provider of interactive dating solutions, is hosting a "Dare to Date: The COVID Vaccine and Dating Safety" webinar with its Dating Advisory Board members on Tuesday, March 23, at 1:30 p.m. (EDT). The webinar will answer daters' questions about the COVID-19 vaccine and what it means for daters. It will discuss the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine, dating in person, and best practices to reduce the risk of transmission. Award-winning matchmaker and host of the Ask a Matchmaker Podcast, Maria Avgitidis, will be the special guest moderator for the event. The Meet Group's Safer Dating Advisory Board, formed in July 2020, is comprised of top epidemiologists and health experts, including Dr. Anirrudha Hazra, Dr. Tali Elfassy and Dr. Melissa Sharp. Register here.
Google Play Will Slash Its 30% Fee to 15 % for Developers Globally
BUSINESS-STANDARD – Mar 18 – Google Play said on Tuesday that beginning July 1 it would slash its 30% billing fee to 15% for developers globally when they make the first $1M of their annual revenue. Apple slashed the App Store developer fee by half to 15% from January 1, 2021, under its App Store Small Business Program. While Apple said it'll reduce commission of 98% of developers, Statista later revealed that those 98% of developers accounted for just 5% of total app store revenue. Even if the commission is reduced to 15% for everybody flat it is still very high," said dating app TrulyMadly CEO and co-founder Snehil Khanor.
Half of Young Danes Think Sugar Dating Is ‘Perfectly OK’ as Lawmakers Prepare Crackdown
SPUTNIK NEWS – Mar 18 – In a cross-party effort, Danish lawmakers are calling for separate clauses that would punish grooming, sugar dating and other sex-related offenses targeting minors. 50% of the 1,732 Danish young people aged 18 to 30 surveyed said that sugar dating is perfectly okay, Danish Radio reported. While previous reports estimated that 1 to 2% of young people engage in sugar dating, VIVE's survey indicated that 5% of 18-30-year-olds actually tried giving sex, kissing, or sending intimate photos in exchange for everything from a drink to money. According to the dating site SugarDaters.dk, which has ~10K active users every month, it has nothing to do with prostitution. It stressed that it is a dating site like any other and doesn't encourage sex for money in any way.
Grindr Must Delete Improperly Collected Data, Norway Watchdog Says
REUTERS – Mar 17 – Norway should force the Grindr dating app to erase illegally gathered data, on top of a recent threat to impose a large fine. Norway's Data Protection Authority said it planned to fine the LGBTQ+ app 100M Norwegian crowns ($11.8M) for what the regulator said was illegal disclosure of user data to advertising firms. In January, following news of the fine, Grindr said the allegations against it dated back to 2018 and no longer reflected its current privacy policy or practices, and that the company was following the law.
Chinese Dating App Maker Seeks IPO in US
PITCHBOOK – Mar 17 – Soul, a Chinese dating app provider, is reportedly in talks with bankers about a deal to go public in the US at a valuation of $1B. Soul seeks to raise $200M in its IPO. Soul has previously raised $60M from investors including DST Global, Genesis Capital and 5Y Capital.
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