BUMBLE – Total Revenue increased 23.7% to $211.2M compared to $170.7M. This includes an unfavorable impact of $5.1M from foreign currency movements YOY. Bumble App Revenue grew 38% to $155.4M. Badoo App and other revenue, including Fruitz which was acquired in January 2022, declined 4% to $55.8M. Total Paying Users increased to 3M. Net earnings were $23.9M.
Category: Bumble
Dating Apps and Environmental Advocacy
DW – Dating apps like OkCupid, Bumble and Tinder have noticed more and more of their users mentioning climate issues on their profiles – and have integrated features to help them connect with each other. On Bumble, users can add badges to their bios as as a way of aligning with different causes. Tinder says that "climate protection" was one of the most mentioned phrases on German Gen Z members' bios last year. OkCupid has reinstated its climate change advocate badge, which was first rolled out in 2021 and is only available for April, Earth Month. When it was introduced last year ~400K people used the badge.
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Bumble’s New IRL Program Includes Free Concerts and Workout Classes
ELITE DAILY – Bumble's new IRL program will get singles out and meet actual people at free events. The Bumble IRL program includes workout classes and concerts so people can meet while doing something they love. The program just launched and is expected to last through the rest of 2022 in 10 different cities – Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco. Bumble is also teaming up with different companies like Live Nation, SoulCycle, Topgolf, and the James Beard Foundation to make sure these Bumble IRL events are unique.
Bumble Tells Court to Toss Premium Feature False Advertising Case
LAWSTREET MEDIA – Bumble has moved to dismiss a consumer complaint alleging that the dating app misrepresented the success a user could enjoy by purchasing two premium features. The suit was filed in January and explained that Bumble has a "freemium" business model. Two of the upgrades users can purchase are "Spotlights" or "SuperSwipes" which "increase the likelihood of matching with another user." The consumer claimed that Bumble promotes these features by suggesting that users will receive up to 10 times more matches if they purchase Spotlights, and up to 10 times more conversations if they purchase Superswipes. The plaintiff is arguing that he received no discernible benefit from the premium features, despite the company's advertisements. The dismissal hearing is scheduled for June 30.
Bumble Is Doing More to Criminalize Dick Pics
JEZEBEL – When Bumble conducted a national survey in 2018, they found that 1 in 3 women have received an unsolicited nude image in their lifetime. 96% confirmed they were received without their consent. Since that survey, Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd and new Policy Director Nkechi "Payton" Iheme have quietly been leading the effort to criminalize sending nudes without consent. Bumble has also rolled out a protective feature called, Private Detector which utilizes AI to automatically blur images determined to be lewd. By March 2019, House Bill 2789, which made sending a lewd photo without the recipient's consent a Class C misdemeanor and punishable by $500, was introduced. The bill was signed into law just two months later by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Michigan, Wisconsin, and Virginia – have either advanced or successfully passed legislation that would follow Texas' suit. The FLASH (Forbid Lewd Activity and Sexual Harassment) Act recently passed California's State Senate. New York State Sen. Alexandra Biaggi has also seen her legislation – Senate Bill S4843, which would establish the unsolicited disclosure of an intimate image as a crime – move forward in both senate and assembly votes. Bumble is also reportedly urging Florida legislators to introduce similar legislation. Last month, "cyberflashing" was made illegal in England and Wales, but unlike U.S. legislation, perpetrators face up to two years in prison.
‘Single Shaming’: Why People Judge Singles
BBC – Asking why someone is 'still' single and assuring them they'll 'find their person soon' may seem like thoughtful, even sensitive, ways to check in on single friends. However, these simple phrases constitute 'single shaming' – and they're likely to be more harmful than helpful. Data from a survey by dating service Match, shows 52% of 1K single UK adults reported experiencing single shaming "since the start of the pandemic", likely due to the increased focus on whom people could rely on during lockdowns. And even though 59% said they were "content with their relationship status", they still were the target of intrusive questions. Match asked about the common "shaming phrases" single people have heard from others, and 35% said they were told "you'll find someone soon". 29% heard "you must be so lonely", while 38% reported general pity over their relationship status. Bumble's research from October 2021, showed that 53% of Bumble users surveyed "realized that it's okay to be alone for a while", thanks to the pandemic.
Tinder Crushes the Dating App Scene, but Its Rivals Are Winning Hearts
by Sara Lebow
See full article at eMarketer
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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.
Russia’s App Store Lost 7K Apps Since Its Invasion of Ukraine
TECH CRUNCH – The Russian App Store has lost 6,982 mobile apps since the start of the Ukraine invasion, as numerous companies have now pulled their apps and games from Apple's iPhone and iPad App Stores in the country. Amid the widespread exits, several Big Tech companies' apps continue to rank highly on the Russian App Store. Russia is not the only country being impacted in this way. Many publishers also removed their apps and games from the App Store in Belarus. That country has now seen a loss of 5,900 apps since the invasion's start. Bumble and Badoo are gone, too.
Which Dating Apps Got the Most Press Coverage Last Year?
OPW – Last year, we mentioned 281 internet dating industry brands in 1,066 posts. Although Match Group and its brands are clearly dominating this list, Bumble takes first place this time, even though only by one post. Here is the full list of companies with the most press coverage for last year.
- Bumble (131 posts)
- Tinder (130 posts)
- Match Group (96 posts)
- OkCupid (43 posts)
- Hinge (42 posts)
- Match.com (35 posts – shared)
- Grindr (35 posts – shared)
- The Meet Group (31 posts)
- Blued (23 posts)
- Spark Networks (22 posts)