OUT – Gay dating app Grindr is launching its first original comedy series this April, and the official trailer just dropped. Bridesman will be six episodes long and follows a “gay and awful” man named Terry as he is “forced to fulfill bridesmaid duties for his best friend despite his disdain for the construct of marriage and an electric sexual connection with the groom.”
Month: March 2022
Dating News Headlines: Hello Group, Vegpal, L.A. Dating, Blyss
Quick links to today's dating news headlines.
- Hello Group Inc. Announces Unaudited Financial Results for the Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2021 – PR Newswire
- New Vegan Dating App Set to Make Waves This Spring – Plant Based News
- A New Hyperlocal Dating App Is Launching in LA – DOT.la
- New Dating App to Prevent Catfishing With Facial Recognition – Mobile ID World
Match Group Avoids $844M in FTC Claims on Judge’s Ruling
BLOOMBERG – Match Group won't have to pay $844M sought by federal regulators who accused the company of defrauding customers by failing to screen out fake accounts and messages. U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade in Dallas dismissed most of the Federal Trade Commission's 2019 lawsuit, saying the Communications Decency Act protects Match as an online publisher. Match must still defend against the FTC's remaining claims, including that Match.com tricks users into subscribing by offering satisfaction guarantees with hidden strings, and that the app's confusing and complicated online cancellation process continues billing customers who think they've canceled their accounts. The FTC also claims Match.com prematurely cuts off some subscribers' access if they complain about the service.
Dating News Headlines: Match Group, Grindr
Quick links to today's dating news headlines.
Google to Let Spotify Use an Alternative Payment System
BARRON'S – Alphabet's Google and Spotify Technology have reached a deal that allows the streaming giant to offer its own billing service within its app, paving the way for other developers to wrestle back billing control from app stores amid antitrust concerns. Google said the partnership with Spotify was a pilot with a small number of participating developers, designed to explore ways to offer users the choice to pay the developers directly while maintaining Google's "ability to invest in the ecosystem." The company plans to explore user billing choice in other select countries. Over the last year, Google's parent company, Alphabet, and Apple have faced antitrust litigation regarding the fees the app stores charge developers. Spotify and Google did not disclose whether – or how much – Spotify will have to pay Google for in-app billing services. If Google was imposing a lower fee, it could serve as a positive precedent for other app developers, like Match Group and Bumble.
LTR Edition 15 – Payment Processing
OPW – Yippee, your favorite most interesting topic is here. Payment processing. Ok, dullness aside, you know payment processing is essential, challenging, and really close to the hearts of your conversions maestros and CFOs alike. You want to make money, you’d better make sure you have your tech dialed in for accepting payments. Paul Larsen has been banging away for years helping dating and online social communities (among other) industries squeeze out more efficiencies, and not get nailed by the banks. I interviewed him back in, Oh God!, 2011. Yes, definitely time for an update.
Love, Technology, Relationships (LTR) is on Wed 6th April starting 12 noon EST (New York time). For this monthly online event Paul will give tips on payment processing for dating & social communities. We have a half-hour of networking on virtual tables, then 50 minutes conference time then another short networking session with your peers, leaders of dating, and online social communities. 1.5 hours all-in.
If you hold a full-time leadership role at an Internet dating company then you are welcome to join IDEA for free and welcome to join LTR events for free.
See the LTR Edition 15 speakers and invite page here. Email mark@courtlandbrooks.com to RSVP.
This LTR is kindly sponsored by RealMe, vPaaS by Meet Group, FaceTec, OneRep, and Courtland Brooks
Dating News Headlines: Ziinkle, Match Group, Bumble
Quick links to today's dating news headlines.
As Tech Tries to Hack Love, Is It Killing It Instead?
Apple Sends New Offer to Dutch Antitrust Authority Over Dating Apps Payments
TECH CRUNCH – Apple has been fined again in the Netherlands over an antitrust order related to dating apps. The latest €5M fine (the ninth) brings the total penalties against Apple on this issue up to €45M (out of a maximum possible of €50M if it again fails to satisfy the regulator by next week). Apple has responded to the string of fines over this period by claiming it is complying with the order. Apple submitted "new proposals" earlier today. The details have not been disclosed.
Dating in the Metaverse
VICE – Metaverse is not just one virtual world, but lots of smaller free-roaming worlds made by different developers with different concepts. Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft all have investments in some form or another in the metaverse. Still, we're very much in Nokia 3210 era just now. In December, Tinder CEO Renate Nyborg told Reuters that the company has "been talking about a Tinderverse internally, which is more about blurring the boundaries between offline and online". Ross Buchanan from Vice has recently tested Metaverse to see if he could find a date. He joined Planet Theta's Saturday night beta test. Planted Theta the world's first ever VR dating app. There will be four different types of places users will be able to visit: the micro-date, the coffee date, social areas (like a nightclub) and the dating areas (think: virtual apartments or "enchanted walks").