TECH CRUNCH – May 12 – Symend, a Calgary, Canada-based company that builds behavioural analytics into customer engagement products to identify customers having trouble with their bills, and then suggests alternatives to keep them from defaulting altogether, has picked up $52M in funding. The company has been around since 2016 and has to date "treated" ~10M customers, on behalf of its enterprise clients. This round is being led by Canadian VC Inovia Capital, with participation from Ignition Partners, Impression Ventures, BDC Capital's Women in Technology Fund, Mistral Venture Partners, and angel investor Markus Frind (the Canadian founder and former CEO of dating site PlentyofFish).
Category: POF
The Meet Group Powers Boom in Safe Social Media Speed Dating Sessions
FORBES – 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
Singles Find Solace in Online Love Amid COVID-19 Anxieties
PR NEWSWIRE – May 7 – Plenty of Fish released a new study, called Pressure Points: Dating from a Distance. The study explores the relationship between dating and anxiety, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how singles are leveraging technology to foster meaningful connections. While 7 in 10 singles report feeling more anxious than usual, 72% of online daters believe it is still possible to start a romantic relationship while social distancing, and over half say the situation has inspired them to take dating more seriously. 79% of singles will not date someone who doesn't take social distancing seriously. POF has recently introduced Live!, a new livestreaming feature, which enables people to date from a distance, and last year implemented a face filter ban to increase authenticity in dating. 1 in 5 users have used Live!.
How Plenty of Fish Is Supporting Those in Need
POF LINKEDIN – Apr 30 – Plenty of Fish is donating a portion of the ad space across their platforms to national charities. POF has initially partnered with Feed the Frontline and Food Banks Canada to help them raise funds, as well as Viacom CBS to promote their #AloneTogether COVID education campaign created with the Ad Council in the US, to help drive awareness during this time. POF is donating $10K to Battered Women's Support Services (BWSS), an organization based in Vancouver that provides education, advocacy and support service to women who need it. POF will be also accepting a limited number of further applications from national charities who want to get the word out – free of charge.
The Top Dating Industry News for Apr 28th
OPW – Apr 28 – Facebook Dating Video, OKCupid Covid-19 Survey, POF NextDate Video Speed Dating.
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Dating Virtually With NextDate Social Hours on Plenty of Fish Live!
POF BLOG – Apr 24 – Every Thursday and Saturday from 10PM – 11PM EST, Plenty of Fish is hosting NextDate Social Hours via Plenty of Fish Live!. These are virtual speed dating events. Users go on Plenty of Fish Live!, hit the 'go live!' button and join NextDate by clicking the heart at the bottom during the speed dating social hour times. POF will be giving away 8,000 credits ($50 value) per person to the first 25 couples that agree they've found a spark, by matching in NextDate, during each event. NextDate speed dating sessions will run until May 30, 2020.
Match Group: More People Are Swiping Right, But New Challenges Have Surfaced
SEEKING ALPHA – Apr 12 – Tinder has recently reported a record high in the number of swipes. On March 29, Tinder witnessed over 3B swipes, which is the highest-ever recorded in a single day. More people swiping, however, does not guarantee earnings growth. As long as mobility is restricted and public gathering spaces remain closed, many dating app users will not be inclined to pay for premium services. Match Group makes money by charging users for subscriptions and displaying advertisements. Match Group CEO Shar Dubey confirmed that there has been an increase in the number of conversations on Tinder. But Match Group is seeing fewer new users joining their products. "In Europe, we've seen new subscriber declines of around 5% in aggregate since the crisis began, but in countries severely impacted by COVID-19, like Italy and Spain, we have seen more significant declines," says Shar Dubey. There's another disadvantage for Match Group. None of the apps offered by the company provide video calling facilities. Plenty of Fish recently announced a partnership with The Meet Group to roll out a live streaming feature. This is a step forward and will likely deliver desired results in the long term by enabling more interactions among users. However, the unavailability of video calling might push users away from dating apps in the short term. The Match Group will most likely report disappointing earnings growth for at least a couple of quarters. Shares might come under pressure as a result.
New Video From POF Explores the Pressures of Dating With Real Texas Singles
PR NEWSWIRE – Apr 2 – Bachelor Nation stars and newlyweds Ashley Iaconetti Haibon and Jared Haibon are exploring the realities of dating in the new "Dine & Dish" video from dating app Plenty of Fish. The couple is having a dinner with real Plenty of Fish members. According to a recent POF study of Austinites, 85% of local singles say dating in the city is tough, with over 2/3 of women believing that the majority of singles in the area are only interested in hooking up. Filmed on a ranch outside of Austin, in Dine & Dish: Texas Style, the group explores exactly what makes dating in Austin so challenging.
Plenty of Fish Partners With The Meet Group for Free Livestreaming
PR NEWSWIRE – Mar 19 – Plenty of Fish today began rolling out a free livestreaming feature, dubbed LIVE!, for members to encourage singles to "date from a distance" as the nation practices social isolation. In partnership with The Meet Group, a leading provider of interactive livestreaming solutions, LIVE! enables Plenty of Fish app-users to livestream with friends and potential matches. Next week, LIVE! will roll out to 80% of the U.S. and will be made available to all global app-users by the end of April. Users can access livestreaming through the LIVE! Icon in the app.
How Is Coronavirus Affecting the Mobile Economy
APPANNIE – Mar 19 – The world is now turning to mobile to stay connected. AppAnnie took a look at Business, Education, Games, Social, Entertainment, Ride-Sharing, Food Delivery, Finance and Dating apps to unearth how coronavirus is impacting the way we conduct our lives each day. In China, city lockdowns began in January 2020. Consequently, in February, the daily time spent in mobile in China jumped to 5h per day, an increase of 30% compared to the average for 2019. Business and Education apps saw the biggest surge in downloads among categories of apps. We have seen a softening in active users among the top dating apps in the US in the weeks post-Valentine's Day, but it's important to note that we typically see a peak in usage surrounding Valentine's Day. Within dating apps, users can still be active by matching and messaging without actually meeting up in-person.
