Category: DatingDirect

DatingDirect.com Signs Two-Year Deal With AOL

Posted on May 20, 2005

REVOLUTION MAG — May 20 – AOL has signed a two-year deal with DatingDirect.com to provide its members with access to the UK's biggest online dating agency.  DatingDirect has other deals with sites including iVillage.co.uk and ITV.com, and has more than 2m members in the UK. It is ranked by Nielsen//NetRatings as the largest personals site in the UK in terms of monthly unique users, ahead of Meetic.co.uk and uDate.com.  Research compiled by Jupiter shows that the Western European dating markets will be worth €117m (£80m) by 2007. The UK online dating market is particularly showing rapid growth, currently worth £11.7m and is estimated by Jupiter to grow to £47m by 2008.  DatingDirect was founded in 1999. As well as hosting white-label dating services for other websites and its own branded website, it runs offline dating events, which it sees as a way of raising brand awareness.

The full article was originally published at Revolution, but is no longer available.

Mark Brooks: Dating Direct is pulling ahead in the UK market it would seem.  It's tough to compete with sites that know how to do good deals.

Channel 4 (UK) Extends DatingDirect Deal

Posted on April 25, 2005

DatingdirectNETIMPERATIVE — Apr 20 — Broadcaster Channel 4 has extended its deal with DatingDirect.com, to provide a white label dating site on Channel4.com for a further 12 months. DatingDirect has two million profiles.  CEO and Co-Founder, Darren Richards said,"The existing partnership with Channel4.com will ensure that we continue to expand."  The online dating market is getting increasingly competitive in the UK, with many sites looking to expand their services through partnerships with major web publishers.  Earlier this month, DatingDirect secured a deal with Associated New Media (ANM) to provide a dating service on Dailymail.co.uk and ThisIsLondon.co.uk, snatching the contract from their rival uDate.  Founded in January 1999, DatingDirect.com also provides exclusive dating services to gm.tv, ITV.com, Handbag.com, iVillage.co.uk and NewWoman.co.uk.

Mark Brooks: Channel 4 is a major TV channel in the UK.  I've added a lookup category for UK Dating Sites fyi.  There are subtle differences in the home page photos of Brit online dating sites…I can spot them (as a Brit), it's amusing.  The British prefer to use (and probably do business with) British focused online dating sites.  The British subtleties are there, but tough to spot.  DatingDirect

Dating Direct Hooks Daily Mail

Posted on April 9, 2005

Dating_direct_powered_byREVOLUTION MAGAZINE — Apr 8 — DatingDirect.com signed an exclusive six-figure deal with (UK) Associated Newspapers online arm, Associated New Media to provide white-labelled dating services to readers of the Daily Mail online and the Evening Standard site.  Daters can access DatingDirect.com's active database though the dailymail.co.uk and ThisisLondon.co.uk homepages to reach branded dating destinations.  Mark Milner, chief operating officer at Associated New Media, said: "We believe that it's an essential service."  DatingDirect.com has more than 2 million active members and provides exclusive dating services to brands including gm.tv, Channel4.com, ITV.com and Handbag.com.

The full article was originally published at Revolution Mag, but is no longer available.

Mark Brooks: Following in Spring Street Networks footsteps, in the UK.  Dating Direct is partnered with chemistry.co.uk for events.