PRESS RELEASE – June 23 – The Meet Group, a leading provider of interactive dating solutions, has released Blind Date, a new interactive game rolled out to The Meet Group's MeetMe, Skout, and Tagged mobile apps, as well as Match Group's Plenty of Fish. The new feature will allow users to meet and date through a timed video chat that is based on personality rather than appearance. "A recent survey of MeetMe users found that 91% of members wish that dating was more focused on personality, and 77% would chat with someone before seeing what they looked like," said Geoff Cook, CEO of The Meet Group. "We are seeing that our members value personality over attractiveness, and with Blind Date, they are given the opportunity to chat first and gain a sense of who they are connecting with."
Category: Tagged
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
The Top Dating Industry News, Podcast
OPW – Apr 21 – Bumble's New Features, Match.com's Vibe Check, eHarmony's Video Feature, Tagged's 1:1 Video Chat & Blind Date, Shaadi to Conduct Weddings Through Video Conferencing.
For the top weekly dating industry news in ~2 minutes subscribe to OPW's Two Minute Tuesdays (TMT) podcast on Breaker , Google Podcasts
, Spotify
, Anchor
, Overcast
, Radio Public
or Apple Podcasts
. Listen to the trailer for the channel.
Tagged to Rollout Live Video Dating to Respond to COVID-19
PRESS RELEASE – Apr 15 - The Meet Group, a leading provider of interactive livestreaming solutions, has created two new features designed to help users connect while maintaining proper dating distance on its dating app Tagged, the US dating app primarily focused on African Americans. The two features are: Blind Date and 1:1 video chat. Blind Date allows users to meet and date streamers through a timed video chat based on personality rather than looks. The Company expects to roll-out Blind Date and 1:1 Video Chat to Tagged users over the coming weeks.
See full article at Businesswire
See the top news on The Meet Group
See the top news on Tagged
IDEA Launches Social Safety Badge for Dating Apps
BUSINESSWIRE – Dec 9 – IDEA (The Internet Dating Excellence Association) is launching the Social Safety Badge and Guidelines for high quality dating apps. "The goal of this badge is to help users identify dating, matchmaking and social apps that are distinguished in their commitment to a safe and exceptional experience for users," said IDEA President Mark Brooks.
The guidelines cover:
- Respect For Others
- Respect For The Rights Of Others
- Respect For Minors
- Respect For The Community
- Respect For Larger Community
The following dating apps are in the initial launch group and have signed on to the badge, stating that they will adhere to the guidelines:
- CitySwoon
- GlobalMuslimMatch
- Happn
- Jaumo
- LunchClick
- MeetMe
- muzmatch
- Namoro
- Once
- Say Allo
- Skout
- Tagged
- Vouch
IDEA was formed in 2007 as the Internet Dating Executive Alliance and changed to the Internet Dating Excellence Association in 2018. The group is made up of 700+ dating industry executives and dating company leaders and innovators from around the world.
The Meet Group Partners With East Trenton Center Food Bank for Thanksgiving
BUSINESSWIRE – Nov 22 – Users of MeetMe, Skout and Tagged can purchase a custom food donation gift to help make the season a little brighter for those who need it the most. The Meet Group plans to make a donation for every East Trenton Center Food Bank gift sent in the apps up to an aggregate of $10K to the East Trenton Center Food Bank. The limited edition gift will be available from November 22nd through November 29th.
See full article at The Meet Group website
See all posts on The Meet Group See all posts on Skout
See all posts on MeetMe See all posts on Tagged
Growlr: What the New Owners Have in Store for the App?
GAYSTAR NEWS – June 21 – Gay entrepreneur Coley Cummiskey launched men's dating app Growlr in 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. In March, it was revealed he'd sold it in a $12M deal to tech company, The Meet Group. The app says it has 10M members and ~200K daily users. Growlr is aimed very much at the 'bears' market – men who are bigger, hairer and heftier, plus their admirers. TMG is a publicly owned business headquartered in New Hope, Pennsylvania. TMG was founded in 2005 as MyYearbook, but has grown and changed its name in the intervening years. It was founded by current CEO, Geoff Cook with his siblings, Catherine and Dave Cook, and specializes in dating apps. Its other brands include MeetMe, LOVOO, Skout and Tagged. They launched live streaming on MeetMe in April 2017, and have now embedded it into LOVOO, Tagged and Skout. "What we saw with Growlr was a very active, and a pretty sizeable community sending many millions of messages every single day. We saw the potential to roll out live streaming video into that community," said Mr Cook. One thing that won't change is the app's focus. The team realize that's its strength. Growlr does have a very distinct sense of community. Its users are very loyal and very engaged.
Why The Meet Group Has Strong Growth Potential
GURU FOCUS – Apr 5 – Even though the The Meet Group's stock price has surged 170% higher in the last year, further growth could be ahead. The company is focused on improving user experience through the introduction of innovative new products that may improve its monetization potential. It is also expected to expand into new territories and niches, while further acquisitions could enhance its overall performance. The launch of Battles could drive monetization, as well as attract new users and enhance the user experience. Battles bring together two live streamers in a competition, with users being able to give gifts to support their favorite streamer. The streamer with the most votes is named the winner. Battles were recently launched on the company's Meet Me, Skout and Tagged. The Meet Group is also set to launch a new product called Levels. This adds a gamification element to live streaming through establishing aspirational ranks for users to achieve, as well as exclusive benefits for them to unlock.
by Robert Stephens
See full article at Guru Focus
Mobile Growth Summit: Catherine Cook Connelly, Co-Founder & VP Brand Strategy, The Meet Group
OPW – Mar 21 – The Meet Group grew its live-streaming product – Live – to a $48M business in less than a year. Live, which monetizes through in-app purchases, is one of the most engaging features the company ever launched. Users spend ~25M minutes in Live each day. In her presentation, Catherine Cook Connelly talks about how they built Live, why it monetizes so well, and how it enables meaningful connections for their users on MeetMe, Skout, Tagged, and LOVOO.
Q&A With Catherine Cook Connelly, Co-Founder and VP Brand Strategy, The Meet Group
MARKETING TECHNOLOGY INSIGHTS – Feb 15 – Catherine Cook Connelly, the co-Founder and VP Brand Strategy at The Meet Group spoke at the Mobile Growth Summit 2019 this week. Her session is about how they built Live, their live streaming video feature and why it works so well for their portfolio of apps. "It is the most successful product we have ever launched in the company's history, reaching a $71M annualized revenue run rate in just 15 months of being active," she said.
Q: What was behind your decision to build Live?
A: From watching MOMO and other popular Chinese dating apps, we began to see how live streaming can fill a core product gap in dating apps. We've always thought of our apps as the neighborhood bar, and video is the live entertainment meant to keep people engaged and give them something more to talk about. Our apps – LOVOO, MeetMe, Tagged, and Skout – have ~25M minutes of live video every day, and we have not experienced cannibalization of our core text-based chat. Instead, live video fills the product gaps.
Q: Did you have a monetization model in mind prior to its launch?
A: Yes, we used the monetization model popularized in Eastern live streaming apps that rely on viewers to send gifts to the broadcaster. The model has taken off with our users because streamers have an incentive to make interesting streams. We're introducing new products such as Battles, which brings an exciting competitive dynamic to Live. The feature brings together two live streamers for a live competition, whether it be for best dancer, musician or comedian. Each battle lasts just a few minutes, and the winner is the streamer who earns more diamonds from the audience. On a larger scale, we expect to bring Levels to the platform this year. Levels adds a gamification element to Live by establishing aspirational ranks for users and exclusive benefits to unlock.
Q: It seems like being a "live streamer" is now a formal occupation that can be quite lucrative… can you discuss this phenomenon as you are seeing it unfold firsthand?
A: A few of our streamers have said they plan to quit their jobs or have taken a step back from their previous job to build themselves up as streamers. 20% of our streamers consider themselves full-time live streamers.
by Sudipto Ghosh
See full article at Marketing Technology Insights
See all posts on The Meet Group
Subscribe to OPW + Join IDEA + Hire Courtland Brooks Agency-Consultancy