MARKET WATCH -- Aug 31 -- The popularity of free social networks, with MySpace having some 103 million members, does make you wonder why online dating sites are still charging. Back in 2000 a mere quarter of a million people logged on to dating site Match.com from home. Today, there are 3.2 million visiting Match from home each month, and 4.9 million, if you include those checking out their prospects at work. Match generated $248 million last year and the run-rate is $312 million for this year. David Siminoff says Spark Networks will do ~$70 million in sales and estimates eHarmony generates $165 million and Yahoo Personals, $100 million. Just adding the big four makes $600 million. Chump change compared to the roughly $12 billion in advertising online. Love is in the niches. That's the view of Siminoff, who's restructured the operations at Spark Networks. Spark Networks has 26 different verticals. Siminoff says the median time a marriage lasts is 6 years. "Liquidity in relationships has gone up a lot." Maybe social networks draw from online dating sites, but in the end, the entire market of people dating has just gone up.
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