Category: Meetic

Europe’s Love Affair With Meetic

Posted on October 8, 2007

Meetic_logoBUSINESS WEEK — Oct 5 — Meetic is now Europe's biggest online dating site, with $73.9 million in revenues during the first half of this year, up 48.5% from a year ago. Although it only has 525,000 paying subscribers compared to Match.com's 1.3 million, the online dating market in Europe is expected to double from 2006 to 2011 while the U.S. market will likely grow less than 50%.

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

Mark Brooks: I'll be spending a few months in Europe next year and visiting major dating sites and social networks. Prague, Helsinki, Munich, Paris, Cannes, and London are on the itinerary for Q1-Q2, so far.  I'm hoping to do some CEO video interviews, and see how continental Europe does internet dating and SNS. The European dating companies definitely seem a little more 'progressive'. Your comments please.

Flirting And Fornicating

Posted on August 10, 2007

Meetic_logoMAIL & GUARDIAN ONLINE — Aug 8 — Meetic claims the No 2 spot in the world behind match.com. It has become known as the "efficient" site in France with fast action, easy sex and open adultery. It has five million members in France, 22-million users in 17 countries and sites in 12 languages. On Valentine's Day Meetic announced a rise in profits of 70%, to £18-million.

The full article was originally published at Mail & Guardian Online, but is no longer available.

Dating Firms Fight For UK Hearts

Posted on July 19, 2007

Datingdirect_2BBC NEWS — July 18 — "The UK is the battlefield for the World War of dating," according to Marc Simoncini, the Frenchman who started Meetic. His company bought the UK dating website Dating Direct and is going head-to-head with Match.com. Mr Simoncini says it is not just a clash of companies. He reckons it is about whether the British date in a manner more similar to people elsewhere in Europe or like the Americans. FULL ARTICLE @ BBC NEWS

Mark Brooks: Match helps people find love, whereas Meetic/DatingDirect promises dates.

Dating In Digital Era In Britain And France

Posted on July 16, 2007

Meetic_logo THE GUARDIAN — July 13 — In Britain, the online dating stigma is collapsing. comScore World Metrix reports Britain’s 141 dating sites received 6.4 million unique visitors in May. Nielsen says UK Internet users visiting personals sites leaped 13.4% from 8.2% three years ago. Synovate found 6% of British Web users aged 18-24 engage in online dating but 38%, admit to meeting someone online and making online friends. With this demographic on free sites like MySpace, it’s difficult to maintain subscription-based. French Meetic appears to be surviving on the subscription boat.

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

DatingDirect.com Launches On Vodafone

Posted on July 12, 2007

DatingdirectMAD.CO.UK — July 11 — DatingDirect.com is launching a new partnership with Vodafone UK to feature the dating service on its mobile internet service. Users can browse images and profiles, upload photographs and text and receive alerts to notify them when another member has visited their profile. Earlier this year DatingDirect was bought by Meetic for £27.3 million. FULL ARTICLE @ MAD.CO.UK

Marc Simoncini, Meetic CEO/Founder – Video Interview

Posted on June 17, 2007

OPW INTERVIEW — June 17, 2007 — Marc Simoncini's Meetic.com is taking on Match.com head on to become the pre-eminent matching service in Europe. Marc (French) knows Europe. He says that Meetic is different from other dating sites becuase Meetic merely promises 'dates' and that's a more European approach. But Marc hasn't stopped short of Europe, he's advancing on China now. In an acquisitions spat earlier this year, Meetic acquired Yeeyoo in January and Match acquired eDodo in China, and picked up Netclub around the same time to take a stronger position in Meetic's back yard, in France. Here's my video interview with Marc at the Asian internet dating conference. – Mark Brooks

Meetic Continued Strong Growth

Posted on May 4, 2007

Meetic_logoPRESS RELEASE — May 4 — Revenue for the Q1 2007, which includes two months revenue for DatingDirect, totalled 25.4 million Euros (up 59%), with 426,179 subscribers at 12/31/06. At the beginning of 2007 70,000 subscribers were  acquired from DatingDirect. At 3/31/07, 523,000 subscribers for the Group’s sites. Europe accounts for 91.2% of revenue and the rest of the world for 7.1%. Marc Simoncini commented,"…We will further strengthen our distribution networks with a particular emphasis on the U.K., and we will conduct an active development strategy for our Ulteem product."

Meetic Continued Strong Growth

Posted on May 4, 2007

Meetic_logoPRESS RELEASE — May 4 — Revenue for the Q1 2007, which includes two months revenue for DatingDirect, totalled 25.4 million Euros (up 59%), with 426,179 subscribers at 12/31/06. At the beginning of 2007 70,000 subscribers were  acquired from DatingDirect. At 3/31/07, 523,000 subscribers for the Group’s sites. Europe accounts for 91.2% of revenue and the rest of the world for 7.1%. Marc Simoncini commented,"…We will further strengthen our distribution networks with a particular emphasis on the U.K., and we will conduct an active development strategy for our Ulteem product."

Love Knows No Borders

Posted on February 20, 2007

Couple_parisMEDIA POST — Feb 19 — France has the highest proportion of Internet users visiting online personals sites. ComScore Networks recently reported that 22% of French Internet users, age 15+, visited online personals sites in December 2006, followed by the British with 20%, and the Americans with 13%. Interestingly, usage of dating sites seems to peak in the summer months in each country; July in the U.K. and U.S. and September in France.

Top Personals Sites in the U.K. (Visitors Age 15+ December 2006 Home and Work Locations)
Total Web Users in U.K. (Age 15+):  29,788,000
Personals Category Total:  5,836,000
DatingDirect – 1,427,000
LoopyLove – 960,000
GirlsDateForFree – 618,000
Match.com Sites -  510,000
Interrodate.co.uk – 452,000

Top Personals Sites in France (Visitors Age 15+ December 2006 Home and Work Locations)
Total Web Users in France (Age 15+):  24,409,000
Personals Category Total:  5,317,000
Meetic -  2,258,000
Easyrencontre -  724,000
CapFriends.fr – 369,000
2Become1-fr.com – 337,000
MSN Dating & Personals -  299,000

Top Personals Sites in the U.S. (Visitors Age 15+ December 2006 Home and Work Locations)
Total Web Users in the U.S. (Age 15+):  152,350,000
Personals Category Total:  20,555,000
Yahoo! Personals -  4,153,000
Match.com Sites** -  3,970,000
TRUE – 3,086,000
Spark Networks -  2,504,000
Singlesnet – 2,173,000

The full article was originally published at Center For Media Research, but is no longer available.

Love Knows No Borders

Posted on February 20, 2007

Couple_parisMEDIA POST — Feb 19 — France has the highest proportion of Internet users visiting online personals sites. ComScore Networks recently reported that 22% of French Internet users, age 15+, visited online personals sites in December 2006, followed by the British with 20%, and the Americans with 13%. Interestingly, usage of dating sites seems to peak in the summer months in each country; July in the U.K. and U.S. and September in France.

Top Personals Sites in the U.K. (Visitors Age 15+ December 2006 Home and Work Locations)
Total Web Users in U.K. (Age 15+):  29,788,000
Personals Category Total:  5,836,000
DatingDirect – 1,427,000
LoopyLove – 960,000
GirlsDateForFree – 618,000
Match.com Sites -  510,000
Interrodate.co.uk – 452,000

Top Personals Sites in France (Visitors Age 15+ December 2006 Home and Work Locations)
Total Web Users in France (Age 15+):  24,409,000
Personals Category Total:  5,317,000
Meetic -  2,258,000
Easyrencontre -  724,000
CapFriends.fr – 369,000
2Become1-fr.com – 337,000
MSN Dating & Personals -  299,000

Top Personals Sites in the U.S. (Visitors Age 15+ December 2006 Home and Work Locations)
Total Web Users in the U.S. (Age 15+):  152,350,000
Personals Category Total:  20,555,000
Yahoo! Personals -  4,153,000
Match.com Sites** -  3,970,000
TRUE – 3,086,000
Spark Networks -  2,504,000
Singlesnet – 2,173,000

The full article was originally published at Center For Media Research, but is no longer available.