Category: Growlr

Gay Dating Apps Join Health Experts to Fight Hate Speech and Racism

Posted on September 16, 2021

BHOC NiceAF logosPRESS RELEASE – Building Healthy Online Communities, a consortium of HIV and STD prevention organizations, has released a report with the results of its "NiceAF" campaign's research to combat online hate speech and racism. The report contains recommendations for apps and sites to take, based on input from ~5.5K users. BHOC worked with Adam4Adam, Daddyhunt, dudesnude, Grindr, GROWLr, Jack'd, Manhunt, SCRUFF, and POZ Personals to recruit its users to share their ideas. BHOC asked users to suggest and then rate a number of steps that apps should take to reduce discrimination and hate speech. The full report is available at NiceAF.org.

New Co-CEOs at ParshipMeet Group

Posted on July 20, 2021

ParshipMeetGroup_LogoOPW – July 20 – After 7 years, Tim Schiffers, the incumbent CEO, is handing over the baton to Marc Schachtel and Geoff Cook. Marc Schachtel (formerly COO) and Geoff Cook (Founder/CEO, The Meet Group) are now co-CEOs of ParshipMeet Group. Henning Rönneberg is CFO.

Tim successfully completed the merger of Parship Group with The Meet Group and is moving on to new challenges outside the organization.

Marc will lead the entire matchmaking business as CEO of Parship Group: Parship, ElitePartner, eharmony, LOVOO. See Marc's Linkedin post.

Geoff will continue to be responsible for the Social Dating & Entertainment division: MeetMe, Skout, Tagged, GROWLr and the live video streaming solution vPaaS, which powers the video solution of some of the largest dating and social apps in the world. See Geoff's Linkedin post.

See the top news on ParshipMeet Group

Does Banning People With Felonies From Dating Apps Make Anyone Safer?

Posted on May 20, 2021

Banned from dating appsTHE MARSHALL PROJECT – May 20 – Match Group plans to launch a feature allowing daters to run background checks on potential matches. The company says its efforts are aimed at keeping users safe. But civil rights advocates say the record checks extend an unfair practice of imposing "collateral consequences" long after people have finished their sentences. "Meeting strangers can be risky, and I worry that this approach will mislead people into thinking they're safe," said Sarah Lageson, a Rutgers University sociologist who studies the growing use of online criminal records. People with felonies – anything from a $10 drug conviction to capital murder – are banned for life from some dating apps including Match Group's apps, Coffee Meets Bagel, Zoosk. A representative for The Meet Group said that only two of the company's apps – Skout and GROWLr – have a ban, based on policies it inherited when it acquired those apps. The representative said The Meet Group would reconsider that part of the policy.

by Keri Blakinger
See full article at The Marshall Project

See the top news on Match Group                 See the top news on The Meet Group
See the top news on Coffee Meets Bagel       See the top news on Zoosk

The Meet Group Acquired and Looking at 2022 IPO as ParshipMeet!

Posted on September 4, 2020

Parshipmeet group logoBUSINESSWIRE – Sep 4 – The Meet Group announced the completion of its acquisition by the parent company of eharmony. ParshipMeet Group was created to manage The Meet Group and Parship Group. It now operates MeetMe, LOVOO, Tagged, Skout, GROWLr, eharmony, Parship and ElitePartner.

The Meet Group focuses on community while bringing social entertainment to dating, monetizing through livestreaming video. Parship Group brands are market leaders in the matchmaking space; focused on serious relationships and monetizing through subscriptions.

The all-cash transaction represents an enterprise value of ~$500m.

"We are thrilled to combine with a globally leading matchmaking company," said Geoff Cook, CEO of The Meet Group. "We believe this deal will help define the future of dating. We will continue to focus on… building the best dating features in the world, …investing in livestreaming…, and discovering opportunities to expand and grow – organically and through strategic relationships, including our video-platform-as-a-service offering". 195k+ dating games are played each day across The Meet Group's apps, up 104% since March.

"The Meet Group's livestreaming video platform is unique and well positioned for a post-pandemic world where video becomes a critical part of finding and screening first dates," said Tim Schiffers, CEO of ParshipMeet Group. "By combining The Meet Group's assets with Parship Group's strengths, we've created a global dating leader and one of the most diversified portfolios of dating brands in the world. …We see significant potential to further the growth of The Meet Group's video platform-as-a-service products, as well opportunities for knowledge-sharing and cross-selling."

ParshipMeet Group is jointly owned by ProSiebenSat.1, a leading free-to-air TV broadcaster and video entertainment company in the German-speaking markets, and General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support for growth companies.

See full article at Businesswire

Additionally, from ProSiebenSat1:
ParshipMeet Group has revenues of EUR 451 million and adjusted EBITDA of EUR 95 million as of H1 2020, for the last 12 months. Double-digit annual growth rates expected

The combined company operates as ParshipMeet Group, a newly-minted unicorn and a leading global player in the online dating market. ProSiebenSat.1 owns 53% and General Atlantic 43% in ParshipMeet Group. The remainder is held by management.

Rainer Beaujean, Chairman & CFO, ProSiebenSat.1 said, "This investment case is also another strong proof of concept of our ability to use the strengths of our Entertainment business to support the growth and development of consumer-facing digital platform and commerce businesses."

Joern Nikolay, MD, General Atlantic said, "We believe in the ability of ParshipMeet Group…to bring transformative digital innovation to the global online dating sector…and harness the power of technology."

Tim Schiffers, CEO, ParshipMeet Group said, "Online dating, and interactive live video in particular, is a global megatrend that will continue to transform all of our lives in the future. …Our brands span the whole spectrum of the online dating market: meeting, dating and falling in love. …We are perfectly positioned for sustained long-term growth."

ProSiebenSat.1 and General Atlantic are evaluating an IPO for ParshipMeet Group in 2022.

See full article at ProsiebenSat.1 website

See the top news on The Meet Group
See the top news on Parship Group

UrSafe & The Meet Group Announce Partnership

Posted on July 8, 2020

Tmg ursafePR NEWSWIRE – July 7 – MeetMe, Tagged, Skout, GROWLr and LOVOO users will receive a free 60-day subscription to UrSafe's premium safety Features. UrSafe is a hands-free, voice-activated personal safety app fully integrated with 911.

See full article at PR Newswire

See the top news on The Meet Group

The Meet Group Launches Monetization on Gay Dating App GROWLr

Posted on June 11, 2020

Growlr virtual giftsBUSINESSWIRE – June 11 – The Meet Group, a leading provider of interactive dating solutions, allows GROWLr's members to send virtual gifts inside the app. Some of the virtual gifts available range from teddy bears, rainbows and roses, to the top gift of a dragon, worth 100K credits. "The launch of virtual gifting is very exciting for the community," said Geoff Cook, CEO of The Meet Group. "Not only does gifting provide a new way for our members to express themselves and connect with others, we also expect it to increase video engagement across the dating app, just like we've seen on MeetMe, Skout, and Tagged."

See full article at Businesswire

See the top news on The Meet Group
See the top news on Growlr

The Meet Group Powers Boom in Safe Social Media Speed Dating Sessions

Posted on May 12, 2020

Themetgroup logoFORBES – May 11 – The Meet Group provides interactive live video solutions for its apps – MeetMe, LOVOO, Skout, Tagged and Growlr, and also Match Group's Plenty of Fish. Across that spectrum, The Meet Group works to ensure safety and security for its social media connections. Recently, the live meet-up sections of MeetMe, Skout and Plenty of Fish introduced NextDate speed dating sessions with built-in The Meet Group Technology. Running now through May 30, those sites will host Speed Dating Social Hours at 10PM and 11PM ET, every Thursday and Saturday. The Meet Group will reward those who find their match on NextDate. The first 25 couples to match will receive 8K ($50) credits redeemable on the MeetMe, Skout, and Plenty of Fish dating apps to buy and send gifts to members who are live-streaming on the apps or playing NextDate on any of the social media platforms.

by John Scott Lewinski
See full article at Forbes

See the top news on The Meet Group

The Meet Group Launches Live Video on Growlr

Posted on May 7, 2020

Growlr logoBUSINESSWIRE – May 7 – The Meet Group, a leading provider of interactive dating solutions, is launching live video on its gay dating app GROWLr. Additionally, in the midst of the pandemic, one-on-one video chat is now free for all GROWLr members. "Livestreaming allows people to make connections and remain socially distant," said Geoff Cook, CEO of The Meet Group. Since the release of Live, 87% of surveyed GROWLr members said they feel they are able to connect with more people, and 90% have agreed that the feature provides them with a better way to meet and socialize with others during the pandemic. Beginning this week, GROWLr will host a variety of free live entertainment shows on its mobile app, welcoming musical artists, comedians, and more.

See full article at Businesswire

See the top news on The Meet Group
See the top news on Growlr

The Top Dating Industry News for April 7th

Posted on April 7, 2020

Opw tmtOPW – Apr 7 – Virtual Dating on the Rise, GROWLr Live Video, Match Group Q1 Statement, Q1 Global Consumer app Spend.

For the top weekly dating industry news in ~2 minutes subscribe to OPW's Two Minute Tuesdays (TMT) podcast on Breaker Breaker, Google Podcasts Google Podcasts, Spotify Spotify, Anchor Anchor , Overcast Overcast, Radio Public Radio Public or Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts. Listen to the trailer for the channel.

GROWLr to Launch Live Video Dating to Respond to Pandemic

Posted on April 2, 2020

GrowlrLive_BBBUSINESSWIRE – Apr 2 – The Meet Group, a leading provider of interactive livestreaming solutions, is rolling out Live Video to users of its gay dating app, GROWLr. "In today's climate, livestreaming allows people to feel connected while maintaining proper dating distance," said Geoff Cook, CEO. "Since the outbreak, we've seen explosive, overnight growth of our other live video platforms, MeetMe, LOVOO, Skout and Tagged. In the last week, we saw a 33% increase in time spent in video and a 38% increase in video chats per day compared to the week before COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization."

See full article at Businesswire

See the top news on The Meet Group
See the top news on Growlr