NEW YORK TIMES — Dec 12 — Penthouse Media, has acquired Various (FriendFinder) and its subsidiaries as part of a plan to expand its reach. Various operates more than 25 sites including AdultFriendfinder, and has more than 260 million members and 1.2 million paying subscribers. The combined revenue of both companies is projected to be $340 million in 2007. Penthouse was purchased in 2004 by PET Capital Partners, a group of private investors. FULL ARTICLE @ NEW YORK TIMES
Category: FriendFinder
FriendFinder HAS Been Sold
OPW — Dec 10 — It's
confirmed. Rumors have been piling up, but I've confirmed that
FriendFinder was indeed sold to Penthouse for ~$500 million last week.
AdultFriendFinder Rapped For X-rated Pop-ups
TECH CRUNCH — Dec 7 — Federal Trade Commission (FTC) restricts AdultFriendFinder's promotional activities. AdultFriendFinder affiliates used pop-up ads to drive traffic to the site, and exposed consumers, including children to sexual explicit images when search for terms including "flowers," "travel," and "vacations." AdultFriendFinder and it's affiliates have to stop displaying sexually explicit ads to consumers unless they are seeking this kind of content. AFF has to make sure that its affiliates comply with the restriction, and end its relationship with any affiliates who do not comply. FULL ARTICLE @ TECH CRUNCH
FriendFinder Donates $200k
PRESS RELEASE — Nov 29 — FriendFinder Network is giving $200k to charity and members can suggest the charities to distribute the $200k to. Top charities picked by members so far (30k votes) include: American Red Cross, St. Jude's Children's Hospital, American Cancer Society and Make a Wish Foundation. FULL ARTICLE @ PR WEB
Email Data Source Ranks Dating Sites
PR WEB — Nov 29 — Email Data Source, a provider of email competitive analysis data, released its study ranking the Email Brand Equity Index™ of Online dating sites based on the quality and effectiveness of their marketing emails. The Email Brand Equity Index™ is determined by compiling historical data on email marketing messages and measuring the emails' perceived effectiveness in driving website traffic.
Email Brand Equity Rankings
1. Match.com
2. Friendfinder
3. Spark Networks
4. eHarmony.com
5. Reunion.com
6. Cupid.com
7. True.com
8. Family Friends
9. eCube Media
10. Beliefnet
9. eCube Media
10. Beliefnet
Adult FriendFinder May Have Been Acquired For $1 Billion+
TECH CRUNCH — Nov 17 — Various Inc (AdultFriendFinder) has been acquired. This is a single source rumor, but the quality of the source suggests the rumor is accurate. Various is rumored to have revenues in excess of $300 million. FULL ARTICLE @ TECH CRUNCH
Mark Brooks: I contacted Andrew Conru to find out more. Here's my Blackberry conversation with him. (Disclosure: I worked for FriendFinder in 2003 to 2004 as a marketing manager)
MB: Please keep me posted on FriendFinder's acquisition. Good luck with it.
AC: Again untrue… I would let you know otherwise
MB: Has Friendfinder been sold? Can you categorically state that the post on Techcrunch is false and that you have not sold Friendfinder?
AC: Yes, false.
MB: Are you in talks to sell Friendfinder at present?
AC: We always have interested parties contacting us.
MB: What is Friendfinder worth in your estimation, for a cash buy out?
AC: Who knows.
MB: Can you confirm that Friendfinder's revenue is indeed over 300 million?
AC: We don't discuss numbers 🙂
MB: What would you turn your attentions to if ever Friendfinder was sold?
AC: Fish farming.
MB: You're not kididng, are you? 🙂
AC: Actually, if I was not doing stuff online, I would actually like
to do aquaculture.
FriendFinder Launches MillionaireMate
PRESS RELEASE — Aug 13– MillionaireMate, a new website that connects millionaires with beautiful women, was launched by FriendFinder. In its first few days of operation, the site with its proprietary wealth verification system and search process had over 10,000 members sign up. Registration is free at the site, which is cross-promoted with other FriendFinder social networks.
The full article was originally published at PR-GB.com, but is no longer available.
FriendFinder…NOT SOLD!!!
OPW — Aug 1 — FriendFinder has not been sold. Rumor has it that it’s been sold recently based on $90 million profit on $298 million revenue, but alas, that’s not the case. Dr Conru has dispelled the rumor.
A Thaw in Investment Products for Adult?
NEW YORK TIMES — July 27 — FriendFinder Inc. gets 140k new registrants a day, and $200 million in annual revenue. But AdultFriendFinder helps people meet for sex. The explicit photographs and language has put off mainstream investors. Now several former Wall Street investors specialize in marrying mainstream money with explicit material. Sex entertainment companies can be purchased at a discount because of less competition driving up prices. Some companies have been repackaged in a more conventional way to make them more attractive to investors. FULL ARTICLE @ NEW YORK TIMES
Mark Brooks: I would not be surprised if a deal was on the table for FriendFinder. Will Dr Conru sell his baby? It's got to be worth North of $1billion at this stage.
Singles.com Adds Social Networking Features
WEB WIRE — June 15 — Singles.com has launched new social networking features allowing surfers to converse, share stories and get a more thorough idea of the online dating world. Singles.com, with free registration, offers objective reviews of the best online dating sites, including YahooPersonals, Fling.com, Match and AdultFriendFinder. FULL ARTICLE @ WEB WIRE
Mark Brooks: Singles.com (owned by National A1) used to be a Vintacom/Relationship Exchange site. Now they are a dating site selection service. Email me at mark@onlinepersonalswatch.com for a roundup and decision analysis tool for white label services, beyond Vintacom.
This post also appears on SocialNetworkingWatch.