MARKETWATCH – Sep 22 – Since Match made its first investment in Hinge back in 2017, the dating app has seen its user base grow 20 times, according to Match. Hinge was launched in 2012 as an app seeking to move beyond the "hookup culture". When Match initially got involved with Hinge, the app had a fairly limited set of revenue-generating features. Now Match is "finally focusing on monetization," according to Amarnath Thombre, CEO of the company's Americas business, who oversees its non-Tinder properties. The recent push has Hinge on track to triple its revenue this year.
Category: Reporters – Emily Bary
Match Stock Gains After Tinder Subscriber Trends Stabilized in April
MARKETWATCH – May 5 – Shares of Match were up 0.7% in after-hours trading Tuesday after the company matched Q1 revenue expectations and said Tinder subscriber trends were "stabilizing" in April after dropping sequentially in March. Match generated net income of $160.4M, up from $123M in Q1 2019. The EBITDA was $171.5M, above the $155.1M it recorded a year prior. The company posted revenue of $545M, up from $465M in Q1 2019. Tinder subscribers averaged 6M in the quarter, compared with an average of 5.9M in the December quarter. Match saw the average number of daily messages sent across its products rise 27% in April relative to the last week of February. For users under the age of 30, the daily average message count was 35% higher.
Match Group Could Win Big if the U.S. Regulates Apple and Google
MARKETWATCH – June 5 – Shares of mega-cap U.S. tech companies have come under pressure in recent days amid concerns about increased regulation of technology giants, but companies that have had to play by Big Tech's rules stand to benefit from increased government scrutiny. Match Group would be an "outsized" winner of a scenario in which the U.S. government took a closer look at Apple and Google app-store practices. It is estimated that about half of Match Group's revenue is subject to app-store fees.
Match Group Stock Falls Ahead of Earnings After Deutsche Bank Downgrade
by Emily Bary
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Match Group’s New Tinder Features After Subscriber Numbers Top Estimates
by Emily Bary
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Match Group’s Latest Acquisition Might Be A Response To Facebook Dating
MARKETWATCH – June 22 – Hinge has grown popular among young adults because of its focus on "thoughtful" dating. The company brands itself as a relationship app at a time when many young daters are frustrated by the casualness of swipe-driven apps like Tinder. Hinge's product "is highly relevant particularly among urban, educated millennial women looking for relationships," said Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg. Facebook, meanwhile, has said that its forthcoming dating products will be about not just hookups, but "relationships too."
by Emily Bary
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Match Wants To Move From ‘Swipe Right’ To ‘Press Play’
Tinder And Bumble Will Never Be A Match
by Emily Bary
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Match Group Stock No Longer Cheap But Could Rally Further, Says Analyst
MARKETWATCH – Mar 7 – Jefferies analyst Brent Thill raised his price target on Match Group shares to $50 from $44 late Tuesday, writing that he believes new investors haven't missed Match's rally entirely, despite the stock's 156% rise over the past 12 months. The S&P 500 is up 15% in that time. Thill wrote that Match Group shares still trade at a discount to shares of other subscription companies, including Netflix, Zillow Group and Angi Homeservices based on EBITDA. "The argument can no longer be made that Match is a cheap asset, but we still believe that upside remains," Thill wrote. Tinder continues to perform well and a new paid Tinder feature due out later this year is potentially "a catalyst that can move the stock."
New Match Group CEO Wants To Make Online Dating Friendlier For Women
MARKETWATCH – Feb 14 – Tinder will soon roll out a feature that lets women choose who makes the first move on that app. She also pointed to other efforts that the company hopes will make its online-dating platforms more female-friendly, such as a new campaign for OkCupid that emphasizes shared hobbies over hookups.
Q: What does the change at Tinder reflect about Match's efforts to appeal more to women?
A: Every time we talk about product, we talk about the female experience. On Tinder, women can choose if they want to start the conversation first or if they want someone else to start. For OkCupid, we started a campaign called "DT____," so "down to farmer's market," "down to fiesta," etc. The idea is that women don't want "DTF".
Q: Is there concern that if you make the product too good, people will quickly find love and stop paying?
A: On Tinder, people are younger. When you're 19, you're not going to find the love of your life – you might, but that doesn't always happen. If you've had a success, you're going to come back and start another one. And then the best marketing in the world is from people who have seen success.
by Emily Bary
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