Match.com – Page 4 – Online Personals Watch

Match Group Expands Background Checks to Match.com and Stir

Posted on July 14, 2022

CNBC – Users on Match.com, which is popular among serious daters, and Stir, which is for single parents, will now have access to screen potential dates through the apps. Match Group has been working with Garbo, a nonprofit background check platform that shows public records including arrests, convictions and sex offender registry information, since a 2021 investment in the company. Match Group then launched a pilot program with Garbo on Tinder. Each search costs $2.50 plus a 75-cent processing fee per transaction. The company declined to comment on how many people have used the service through Tinder.

by Jessica Bursztynsky
See full article at CNBC

Mark Brooks: The RealMe is also very worthy of your consideration, and bring together a large pool of background check resources from around the world. RealMe have an industry-specific offering for the dating industry and are a client of Courtland Brooks and support OPW. See dating offering.

See the top news on Match Group
See the top news on Match.com
See the top news on Stir

Tired of Swiping Left, Singles Are Turning to New Matchmaking Services for Dates

Posted on July 4, 2022

CNBC – Some singles, sick of swiping, are going back to matchmakers. There's an emerging crop of apps looking to bring matchmaking to a new generation, mixing old methods with modern technology. One newcomer is Lox Club, a members-only dating app founded in 2020 by CEO Austin Kevitch. Lox Club charges $96 for 12 months. The company offers access to matchmakers, who can set users up with one another or give feedback on the person's profile. Another company is Ambyr Club. Ambyr, launched late last year, hosts two to three events a month at trendy locations for a select group of 10 men and 10 women. Ambyr pairs the 20 people based on who they think would be a good fit. All members have gone through an interview and background check. Applicants pay a $60 application fee and $150 for each event, if they're chosen. Ambyr says it has a 15% acceptance rate and ~200 members in its database. In November, Match.com introduced a human matchmaking element to its dating service. For $4.99 per week, Match employees will flag two profiles a week in an effort to narrow down the options.

by Jessica Bursztynsky
See full article at CNBC

See the top news on Lox Club
See the top news on Ambyr Club
See the top news on Match.com

Match Group Q1 Results – Revenue up 20%, New CEO

Posted on May 4, 2022

MATCH GROUP – Total Revenue grew 20% YOY to $799M. Operating income was $208M, an increase of 10% YOY. Payers increased 13% to 16.3M, up from 14.4M in the prior year quarter. Tinder Direct Revenue grew 18% YOY, driven by 17% payers growth to 10.7M. All Other Brands collectively grew revenue by 22% YOY driven by 14% RPP growth and 7% payers growth to 5.6M.

Key points from Match Group's letter to shareholders:

Match Group CEO Shar Dubey is stepping down. She will remain as a director and advisor to the company, and Bernard Kim will resume his role as CEO.
Match Group has published its 2nd annual Impact Report to share its progress on social, environmental, and governance initiatives.
In Japan, Tinder launched a co-marketing campaign with Netflix for the dating reality TV show Love is Blind: Japan.
Tinder Coins, its in-app virtual currency, is on track to launch globally this summer.
Hinge is on track to launch in its first non-English speaking market, Germany, in Q2.
Hinge is on pace to more than 10x revenue from 2019 to 2022.
Match, Meetic, Pairs, and POF all successfully leverage tech features from Hyperconnect into their products.

See the top news on Match Group

‘Single Shaming’: Why People Judge Singles

Posted on April 8, 2022

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.

by Jessica Klein
See full article at BBC

See the top news on Match.com
See the top news on Bumble

Blast From the Past – Match.com Began Screening Users Against Sex Offender Registry, in 2011

Posted on March 13, 2022

OPW – TRUE was the first sizable company to offer background checks back in 2004. Match then offered them but did not publicize the fact, starting in 2011. Background checks are more complete and more up-to-date in digital form now. Also, verification technology has advanced. See news from 2011 here, along with a very interesting industry commentary thread.

Courtland Brooks is working with three best-in-class tools that are worth of your attention.

1. RealMe – Background checks, now available beyond USA. "Protect your users from bots and fraud."
2. FaceTec – 3D face matching and liveness checking and age checks.
3. OneRep – Removes people's private information off Google and scrubs their profile from 100+ sites.

Which Dating Apps Got the Most Press Coverage Last Year?

Posted on March 12, 2022

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)

See the full post at Courtland Brooks Blog

Match.com & Metaverse

Posted on February 25, 2022

PROTOCOL – Match Chief Product Officer Dushyant Saraph explains why VR could be the next big thing in dating.

by David Pierce
See full article at Protocol

See the top news on Match.com

Dating Apps Join Forces for Valentine’s Vaccination Push

Posted on February 14, 2022

ADWEEK – Tinder, Ourtime, Match, OKCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish and Grindr are promoting vaccinations to their users. Ahead of Valentine's Day, the apps have allowed users to display vaccination badges and stickers on their dating profiles to advertise their Covid-19 status to increase their chances of finding a match. Data from Hinge has claimed that its users who share their vaccination status on dating apps receive 30% more matches than those who don't. OKCupid has seen ~1M of its users add a badge stating "I'm Vaccinated" to their profile pages, while Grindr also claims that the badge is among its three most popular.

by Stephen Lepitak
See full article at AdWeek

Match Group Financial Results – 2021 Revenue Just Under $3B

Posted on February 2, 2022

MATCH GROUP – Total Q4 Revenue grew 24% YOY to $806M. Operating income was $232M, up 9% YOY. Payers increased 15% to 16.2M, up from 14.2M in the prior year quarter. Tinder Direct Revenue grew 23% YOY driven by 18% Payers growth to 10.6M and RPP growth of 4%. All Other Brands collectively grew Direct Revenue 26% YOY, driven by 16% RPP growth and 9% Payers growth to 5.7M. In 2021, Match Group's Total Revenue was just under $3B with operating income of $850M. Tinder generated ~$1.7B in Direct Revenue in 2021, up 22% over 2020. Hinge produced $525M of Direct Revenue in 2021, achieving a 91% YOY growth rate. Hyperconnect saw better performance in December compared to the preceding months. Several Match Group brands have begun to leverage Hyperconnect's technology. Meetic opened online video cafes, and Match is offering 1:1 video chat on its app. Pairs and POF intend to leverage Hyperconnect's tech into their apps in early 2022.