NY TIMES – Dec 24 – JDate was created in 1997; ChristianMingle was added in 2001. Spark Networks, the parent company, eventually grew to ~30 dating sites, but the crown jewel has always been JDate. Since 2011, Spark Networks has been led by a rotating array of chief executives — four over five years. According to Spark Networks' 2015 filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the number of paid subscribers to its Jewish networks declined to ~65k last year from 85k in 2012. Its total for all networks dropped by ~55k people, to under 204k. Some of the decline could reflect Spark's management turnover, but it is also indicative of the challenges facing the online dating industry. "It's never been cheaper to start a dating site and never been more expensive to grow one," said Mark Brooks, a consultant for the Internet dating industry who also runs Online Personals Watch. Part of the problem, he said, is that 70% of Internet dating in the US is now on mobile. "It used to be 10% of those who registered converted to paid," Mr. Brooks said. "Now it's more like 2 to 3%." Some also see a move toward ever more niche sites like MouseMingle.com (Disney lovers) and GlutenFreeSingles.com. Spark Networks already offers niche products, but Lisa McLafferty, Spark's new chief revenue officer, says its aim is now to "refresh the brand."
by Alina Tugend
See full article at NY Times
See all posts on Spark Networks
See all posts on MouseMingle
See all posts on GlutenFreeSingles
Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team
DAILY TELESCOPE – Nov 16 – Members of MouseMingle.com will gather at selected theaters and meet up with volunteer MouseMingle Guides before the movie to help connect the group. After the movie the group will eat and mingle with other fans. Over 100 locations were suggested by MouseMinglers from around the world. MouseMingle.com was founded in 2015 by Dave Tavres, a former Disneyland Tour Guide who, after years of searching other dating sites for someone who shared his love of Disney, came up with the concept of the dating site for Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel fans.
