Category: All UK & Europe

Norway Forced Tinder To Change How It Uses Customer Data

Posted on March 31, 2017

Tinder icon on mobileENGADGET – Mar 30 – In Norway, Tinder recently got into trouble over how its terms and conditions are worded, according to regional news publication Dagens Næringsliv. Under the old terms Tinder had "sweeping" ownership and control over user data. More than that, Tinder could change its terms and even delete user accounts without any sort of notification. Because of the Council's inquiry, Tinder has changed how it'll do business. The changes were:

  • Norwegian consumers get Norwegian conditions
  • Terms must be easier to understand and shorter
  • A summary of the short-form terms will be present before the terms are agreed upon
  • Norwegian and European protection rules apply
  • Notification of changes to the agreed upon terms
  • User-generated items will be deleted when an account is terminated

by Timothy J. Seppala
See full article at Engadget

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The League Is Coming To London

Posted on March 28, 2017

Theleague london adMASHABLE – Mar 27 – The League, the super-exclusive dating app for ambitious intellectuals, is currently only available in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Boston. But he app announces its plan to expand into 10 international cities this year, with London first up on the agenda. London was chosen as its first international stop due to its "similarities to Manhattan" – The League's "best market to date." The League will officially launch in London on April 25, and the app says it will select ~2k from the 10k people currently on its waitlist to join its founding London community.

by Rachel Thompson
See full article at Mashable

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Britons Spend £129 Per Date, Outpacing Rest Of Europe

Posted on March 21, 2017

Spending money on datesSPUTNIK NEWS – Mar 21 – According to a recent report from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), average spending per date in the UK was £129 in 2016, almost twice that of France, Italy or Germany. Meanwhile, the overall spending on dates for the past year has increased to £5.89B in the UK compared to £3.6B (and £103 per date) in 2013, and £4B in 2014.

See full article at Sputnik News

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German Dating App Mayze Receives Funding

Posted on March 20, 2017

Mayze logoMUNICH STARTUP – Mar 18 – The city-based premium dating app only launched in February 2017 and th e founders, Marianne Kraai and Dominic Phillips, have already secured a six-digit investment. The capital will be used to grow the company and to expand into other cities. Mayze is currently available for iOS and the development of Android app is planned.

by Florian Deglmann
See full article at Munich Startup

This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

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Dating Apps Add £11.5B To British GDP

Posted on February 18, 2017

Dating apps manyFORBES – Feb 17 – Couples boost the UK economy by £14.5B each year, with dating apps accounting for £11.7B, according to new research by TSB. ~14% of the population use dating apps. Tinder is the most popular (55% of Brits have used it) followed by POF (41%). Research from TBS shows that the most popular first date (28%) involves heading out for a few drinks. 49% of Match.com's daters said they like to "do something cultural" on a first date. According to foot traffic data from Foursquare, movie theatres see a 255% lift in foot traffic on Valentine's Day compared to the week before.

by Catherine Meredith
See full article at Forbes

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DatePlay Officially Launches This Valentine’s Day

Posted on February 13, 2017

Dateplay screenshot jan 2017BDAILY.CO.UK – Feb 13 – UK Apprentice runner-up and entrepreneur, Vana Koutsomitis, is launching her DatePlay dating app this Valentine's Day in the wake of last year's wildly successful crowdfunding campaign. Her DatePlay is matching users based on their answers to hundreds of Buzzfeed-style quiz questions. The app raised £210k crowdfunding on Seedrs last summer, smashing through its initial target of £120k.

by Billy Wood
See full article at BDaily.co.uk

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Dating Apps Are Worth £11.7B To The UK Economy Every Year

Posted on February 9, 2017

Dating apps general picBUSINESS INSIDER – Feb 9 – UK TSB bank found that dating apps contribute £11.7B to the UK economy every year, more than two thirds of the £14.5B that's spent on dates overall. The figures are based on a study carried out by research OnePoll, which sampled 2k UK adults. TSB said first dates in the UK cost £41 on average (£50 for men and £36 for women). Follow up dates cost ~£28.83.

by Sam Shead
See full article at Business Insider

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London Eye Partners With Bumble For Valentine’s Day Event

Posted on February 8, 2017

London_eye_bumble_valentines_dating_eventEVENT MAGAZINE – Feb 7 – The Coca-Cola London Eye has teamed up with dating app, Bumble, to offer a special first date experience for singles on Valentine's Day. The dedicated Bumble capsule on the London Eye will host 20 single men and women as they meet for the first time. Singles has to register with the London Eye team and places will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.

by Alison Ledger
See full article at Event Magazine

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Tinder Appoints Director For Russia

Posted on January 19, 2017

Tinder alexey shelestenkoKOMMERSANT – Jan 19 – Tinder has hired Alexey Shelestenko, former Twiter's Media Partnership Manager, as Tinder new Country manager for Russia.

by Roman Rožkov
See full article at Kommersant

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How Happn Founder Came Up With Great Ideas

Posted on January 9, 2017

Didier-Rappaport-founder-HappnTELEGRAPH.CO.UK – Jan 9 – Didier Rappaport explains how an obsession with the internet led him to co-found video website Dailymotion and the Happn dating app.

Q: What's your business background?
A: I worked as an international textiles trader for almost half my professional life. But when the Internet arrived, I became completely obsessed. I was also one of the three co-founders of Dailymotion, which we sold in 2011. I eventually started Happn in 2013. I spend three hours a day reading and monitoring what's happening in the world. People ask me from where I get my great ideas. It's simply from working and reading.

Q: How did you develop Happn?
A: We started by asking consumers what they didn't like about dating apps. They told us that they were too virtual, deceptive and time-consuming. We wanted to bring the real world into the dating space. So when you open the app, your timeline shows people who are currently around you. We have 25M users worldwide. We want to make it profitable by the end of 2017 and we're pursuing a freemium model.

by Anna Isaac
See full article at Telegraph.co.uk

Mark Brooks: Everyone is pursuing a freemium model. But that runway will run out soon. Media costs are rising. Dating apps will probably lose their luster. More paid acquisition will be necessary.

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