Category: Tagged
New Co-CEOs at ParshipMeet Group
OPW – July 20 – After 7 years, Tim Schiffers, the incumbent CEO, is handing over the baton to Marc Schachtel and Geoff Cook. Marc Schachtel (formerly COO) and Geoff Cook (Founder/CEO, The Meet Group) are now co-CEOs of ParshipMeet Group. Henning Rönneberg is CFO.
Tim successfully completed the merger of Parship Group with The Meet Group and is moving on to new challenges outside the organization.
Marc will lead the entire matchmaking business as CEO of Parship Group: Parship, ElitePartner, eharmony, LOVOO. See Marc's Linkedin post.
Geoff will continue to be responsible for the Social Dating & Entertainment division: MeetMe, Skout, Tagged, GROWLr and the live video streaming solution vPaaS, which powers the video solution of some of the largest dating and social apps in the world. See Geoff's Linkedin post.
Dating Gets a Stimulus Package: Tagged App Will Pay for First Drink
See full article at Businesswire
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Sensor Tower’s State of Dating Apps Report
SENSOR TOWER – Feb 18 – Sensor Tower's recent report – 2021 State of Dating Apps report – offers analysis on the latest trends for the category:
- Dating app revenue and download trends in the U.S. and top apps
App Store install growth outpaced that of Google Play, perhaps suggesting that dating apps are going after the comparatively higher spending consumers on Apple's platform. The Meet Group has found steady success with apps including MeetMe, Tagged, and Skout. - A look at how COVID-19 altered the dating landscape
Despite COVID-19, dating app adoption remained steady throughout 2020. Downloads grew 3% Y/Y in Q4. - Trends among traditional dating apps entering 2021
- Advertising trends among top dating apps, including a look at Bumble's creatives
You can download the summary report here or request the full report from SensorTower.
See the top news on The Meet Group
See the top news on Bumble
The Meet Group Launches Face Verification
"At the beginning of this year, I set forth our commitment to safer dating in 2020, addressing key issues affecting dating apps everywhere: Authenticity, Age Estimation, Device Blocking, and Textual Screening," said Geoff Cook, CEO of The Meet Group. "With the launch of the Profile Verification Badge on MeetMe, we are…helping to ensure authenticity and end catfishing."
Other initiatives include using URSafe so members can stay connected in an emergency, collaborating with Microsoft on Project Artemis which uses common textual patterns and an age detection engine to prevent child exploitation, the introduction of a Safer Dating Advisory Board of epidemiologists and infectious disease experts to provide advice aimed at reducing the risk of contagion while dating, and implementing DeviceCheck to block bad actors' devices. See TMG's safety overview.
See full article at Businesswire
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This post also appears on VerySocialNetwork
The Meet Group Acquired and Looking at 2022 IPO as ParshipMeet!
BUSINESSWIRE – Sep 4 – The Meet Group announced the completion of its acquisition by the parent company of eharmony. ParshipMeet Group was created to manage The Meet Group and Parship Group. It now operates MeetMe, LOVOO, Tagged, Skout, GROWLr, eharmony, Parship and ElitePartner.
The Meet Group focuses on community while bringing social entertainment to dating, monetizing through livestreaming video. Parship Group brands are market leaders in the matchmaking space; focused on serious relationships and monetizing through subscriptions.
The all-cash transaction represents an enterprise value of ~$500m.
"We are thrilled to combine with a globally leading matchmaking company," said Geoff Cook, CEO of The Meet Group. "We believe this deal will help define the future of dating. We will continue to focus on… building the best dating features in the world, …investing in livestreaming…, and discovering opportunities to expand and grow – organically and through strategic relationships, including our video-platform-as-a-service offering". 195k+ dating games are played each day across The Meet Group's apps, up 104% since March.
"The Meet Group's livestreaming video platform is unique and well positioned for a post-pandemic world where video becomes a critical part of finding and screening first dates," said Tim Schiffers, CEO of ParshipMeet Group. "By combining The Meet Group's assets with Parship Group's strengths, we've created a global dating leader and one of the most diversified portfolios of dating brands in the world. …We see significant potential to further the growth of The Meet Group's video platform-as-a-service products, as well opportunities for knowledge-sharing and cross-selling."
ParshipMeet Group is jointly owned by ProSiebenSat.1, a leading free-to-air TV broadcaster and video entertainment company in the German-speaking markets, and General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support for growth companies.
See full article at Businesswire
Additionally, from ProSiebenSat1:
ParshipMeet Group has revenues of EUR 451 million and adjusted EBITDA of EUR 95 million as of H1 2020, for the last 12 months. Double-digit annual growth rates expected
The combined company operates as ParshipMeet Group, a newly-minted unicorn and a leading global player in the online dating market. ProSiebenSat.1 owns 53% and General Atlantic 43% in ParshipMeet Group. The remainder is held by management.
Rainer Beaujean, Chairman & CFO, ProSiebenSat.1 said, "This investment case is also another strong proof of concept of our ability to use the strengths of our Entertainment business to support the growth and development of consumer-facing digital platform and commerce businesses."
Joern Nikolay, MD, General Atlantic said, "We believe in the ability of ParshipMeet Group…to bring transformative digital innovation to the global online dating sector…and harness the power of technology."
Tim Schiffers, CEO, ParshipMeet Group said, "Online dating, and interactive live video in particular, is a global megatrend that will continue to transform all of our lives in the future. …Our brands span the whole spectrum of the online dating market: meeting, dating and falling in love. …We are perfectly positioned for sustained long-term growth."
ProSiebenSat.1 and General Atlantic are evaluating an IPO for ParshipMeet Group in 2022.
See full article at ProsiebenSat.1 website
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MeetMe’s Live Video Dating: Dating Online With an Audience
BBC – Sep 2 – On dating app MeetMe, users broadcast live from their phones and then interact with people who tune in. This live vlogging format includes a series of live dating game shows. Livestreamers are paired up to see if there is any chemistry between them. Viewers comment on a "stream" underneath, in real time. MeetMe is part of a suite of dating apps run by The Meet Group. Others include Skout, Tagged (for African-American audience) and Lovoo (an app developed in Germany, which MeetMe bought). Between them they have ~15M users, and on average 180K dating games are played each day, with ~1M people watching the live dates unfold. CEO Geoff Cook describes the platforms as "a public version of speed dating". Plenty of Fish is also currently offering live dating experiences. Badoo has recently experimented with the idea as well.
by Dougal Shaw
See full article at BBC
Mark Brooks: Geoff Cook, CEO of The Meet Group, made a couple of impactful statements in the BBC video interview. Geoff said, "I certainly believe daters no longer have the risk appetite for meeting many different people in person based on something as shallow as a right swipe." This risk, of course, is heightened right now because of covid. However, there's always been additional risks when daters meet in-person for the first time. Especially the risk of disappointment when people have misrepresented themselves in their dating profile and photos. The best thing about video is, video doesn't lie, so when people meet in-person, they're less likely to be disappointed, or catfished. Geoff also stated "…Live-streaming video helps…by really emphasizing personalities" which I think is why this new video dating norm will be here to stay. It's so tough for dating apps to really help people get a sense of chemistry. But with video, users can actually get their first sense of chemistry. That's huge! (Full Disclosure: The Meet Group are a client of Courtland Brooks)
Pakistan Bans 5 Dating Apps for ‘Immoral’ Content
TELEGRAPH INDIA – Sep 2 – Pakistan's telecom watchdog blocked Tinder, Tagged, Skout, Grindr and SayHi after they failed to take down the improper material. The apps were asked to remove "dating services" and moderate live streaming content "in accordance with the local laws of Pakistan" but they ignored the warning.
UrSafe & The Meet Group Announce Partnership
PR NEWSWIRE – July 7 – MeetMe, Tagged, Skout, GROWLr and LOVOO users will receive a free 60-day subscription to UrSafe's premium safety Features. UrSafe is a hands-free, voice-activated personal safety app fully integrated with 911.
The Meet Group Gains New Strength With Innovations in Interactive Dating
INVESTORPLACE – June 30 – Blind dating gets a modern upgrade, making MEET stock a potential winner even amid the pandemic. The Meet Group has recently announced the rollout of an interactive game known as Blind Date. This will be an addition to The Meet Group's popular NextDate game, which "is like speed dating, except that there's an audience and the contestant gets to choose the specific people they'd like to connect with," according to CEO Geoff Cook. The Blind Date game will be integrated into The Meet Group's MeetMe, Skout, and Tagged. It will also be integrated into Match Group's Plenty of Fish. Blind Date should serve to increase user engagement. MEET stock could easily reclaim its former high point as the company's innovative spirit could bring people back into the dating game again.