Month: August 2021

White Label Dating Integrates RealMe Background Verification

Posted on August 6, 2021

RealMe and WLDPR NEWSWIRE – Aug 5 – RealMe is an online reputation platform fostering greater trust and safety within online dating apps and has announced a new partnership with WhiteLabelDating.com (WLD), a leading software service that powers 4K+ dating sites.  WLD will integrate RealMe, giving millions of daters access to an extensive database of ~275M reputation profiles containing criminal records, sex offender status, social profile details, personal reviews, and more.  WLD's JustSingles.com, Magic Dating and Plenty More Fish, will now offer profile verification and instant access to important background information and reputation details of app members.

"With over 45M members across our dating brands, we have a responsibility to keep our community safe," says Ross Williams, CEO of Venntro Media Group, the company behind White Label Dating. "Member safety has always been at the forefront for Venntro. Our partnership with RealMe will strengthen our current strategy and provide our members with critical background verification on potential matches, enabling them to make safer decisions while looking for a connection online."

Neil Davis, RealMe's Head of Dating said, "A recent survey of ~1K members of the online dating industry indicated over 90% of dating executives saw increased harm and harassment incidents on dating apps and websites in the last year. White Label Dating's integration of RealMe gives millions of dating app users access to important information. A significant step forward in combating this upward trend of scams, harassment, and violence on and off dating sites." See https://therealme.com/dating.

See full article at PR Newswire

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Match Group to Add Audio and Video Chat, Including Group Live Video

Posted on August 5, 2021

Match Group selected brandsTECH CRUNCH – Aug 5 – Match Group will bring audio and video chat, including group live video, and other livestreaming technologies to several of the company's brands over the next 12 to 24 months. The developments will be powered by Hyperconnect, the social networking company that this year became Match's biggest acquisition to date when it bought the Korean app maker for $1.73B. By year-end, Match Group said it expects to have at least two of its brands integrated with technologies from Hyperconnect. A number of other brands will implement Hyperconnect capabilities by year-end 2022. Match Group said it expects Hyperconnect to contribute to $125 to $135M in revenue.

by Sarah Perez
See full article at Tech Crunch

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Blued Prohibits Screenshots and Recordings

Posted on August 5, 2021

Blued logoPR NEWSWIRE – Aug 4 – Blued, a world-leading online LGBTQ+ community platform, has introduced a series of new features, including prohibiting screenshots and screen recordings, to protect user identity and privacy. To prevent users from capturing screenshots or recordings, the iOS version of Blued produces a blurred page after a screenshot is attempted, while the Android version prevents a screenshot from being taken altogether.

See full article at PR Newswire

Match Group Financial Results Out

Posted on August 4, 2021

Match Group logoMATCH GROUP – Aug 4 – Total revenue grew 27% YOY to $708M. Operating income was $210M, up 7% YOY. Adjusted EBITDA was $263M, up 15% YOY. Payers increased 15% to 15M, up from 13M last year. Tinder Direct Revenue grew 26% YOY, driven by 17% Payers growth to 9.6M. All Other Brands collectively grew Direct Revenue 28% YOY. In Q2 Match Group closed the acquisition of Hyperconnect, which brings two new brands into its portfolio – Azar and Hakuna. Combined, these two brands have ~570K Payers with RPP approaching $35 and ~90% of their revenue coming from à la carte. Azar, launched in 2014, enables users to video chat with people around the world, powered by real-time language translations. The user base is predominantly in Asia and growing in Europe. Hakuna, launched in 2019, is an interactive, social live streaming app that enables group video and audio broadcast. For Q3, Match Group expects total revenue of $790M to $805M, representing 23%-26% YOY growth.

See full article at Match Group website

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Bumble to Offer Trauma Support to Victims of Sexual Assault

Posted on August 4, 2021

Bumble partners with BloomIRISH NEWS – Aug 4 – Bumble is partnering with Bloom, an online service run by UK-based Chayn. When a survivor reports sexual assault or relationship abuse to Bumble's feedback team, they will be provided with a code to access up to six therapy sessions as well as one-to-one chat support. The service is due to begin later this year, with plans to expand to Badoo in 2022.

See full article at Irish News

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Polyamory and the Law

Posted on August 4, 2021

PolyamoryHARVARD LAW TODAY – Aug 4 – Polyamory is a form of non-monogamous relationship involving more than two adult partners at the same time, with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved, according to Polyamory Legal Advocacy Coalition, also known as PLAC, which was established in the fall of 2020 by a psychologist and five lawyers focused on LGBTQ+ issues. Among them was Harvard Law Lecturer on Law Alexander Chen '15, founding director of the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic. ~5% of people in the U.S. are in a consensual non-monogamous relationship. But polyamorous relationships have few legal protections and people and families face discrimination in such basic needs as jobs, housing, and obtaining health insurance for more than one partner. In 2020 and 2021, three Boston-area municipalities – the city of Somerville followed by Cambridge, and the town of Arlington – became the first in the country to extend the legal definition of domestic partnerships to include polyamorous relationships.

by Elaine McArdle
See full article at Harvard Law Today

A Record Number of Americans Used Dating Apps in July

Posted on August 4, 2021

Dating-apps-on-screen-2020BLOOMBERG – Aug 4 – The lifting of health restrictions in many parts of the U.S. this summer created a big moment for online dating. Engagement on dating apps in the U.S. reached a record high in July. Daily active users on the most popular dating apps, including Tinder and Bumble topped 15M users, according to Apptopia, which began collecting data in 2015. But renewed concerns about Covid-19, driven by the spread of the delta variant, could pose another setback to people's dating lives — and the businesses that profit from them. Investors will get a peek inside that dynamic when Match reports quarterly results after the close of trading Tuesday. Bumble reports next week.

by Akayla Gardner
See full article at Bloomberg

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Tinder Reports 2020 Was Its Busiest Year

Posted on August 4, 2021

Tinder logo classicKTLA – Aug 4 – Despite the social distancing of the past 18 months, the use of dating apps in general has surged. Tinder reported that 2020 was its busiest year yet; this year, its users have already set two records for usage between January and March. Hinge tripled its revenue from 2019 to 2020, and the company expects it to double from that this year. In response to changing demands, Tinder will allow users to add videos to their profile and chat with others before matching with them. Almost half of Tinder users had a video chat with a match during the pandemic, with 40% of them intending to continue them post-pandemic.

See full article at KTLA

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Dating App POM Raises £1.5M

Posted on August 4, 2021

POM logoUKTTN – Aug 3 – POM, a dating app that matches people based on the user's musical and psychological compatibility, has just bagged £1.5M in a pre-launch angel investment round via undisclosed investors. POM was created by 22-year-old up-and-coming entrepreneur Vihan Patel, who teamed up with his co-founder Vladimir Ignatyev, whom he met at school. The app has 25K members already, and it is currently accepting pre-registrations. The official launch of the POM app in London is slated for August 10. The investment will be used to further develop its emotional algorithm that matches users depending on their music library on Apple Music or Spotify and half a dozen questions.

by Akansha Srivastava
See full article at UKTN

his post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.com

Momo Renamed to Hello Group

Posted on August 4, 2021

Momo logoPANDAILY – Aug 3 – Momo, Chinese mobile social and entertainment platform, has changed its name from "Momo Inc." to "Hello Group Inc.". The company's main products are Momo and Tantan. Hello Group was established in 2011. On Dec 12, 2014, the company was listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange. In May 2018, they completed the acquisition of 100% equity of dating app Tantan.

See full article at Pandaily

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