Match Acquires Netclub and Edodo

PRESS RELEASE -- Feb 27 -- Match.com has acquired Netclub in France and edodo China. Match had record revenue of $311 million in 2006 (up 25%). Global market development contributed greatly, most notably in the U.K. and Scandinavia. Match operates 35 country sites in 15 languages. Netclub is the #3 French dating site. According to JupiterResearch, European online dating is expected to grow 30%. 

There are 64 million online singles in China. iResearch.com forecasts the online dating category will nearly double in 2007. Social networking site, eDodo has 180,000+ paid members and gains ~3,000 new paid subscribers each day. 

Mark Brooks: China offers a lucrative long term opportunity. Acquisition is the sensible way to enter this market. Netclub is #14 in Canada, down from #6 in October 2006. I don't see them in the French Alexa top 100, but I'm sure that will change soon. See OPW left bar. 

Comments

[Sam Moorcroft, ChristianCafe.com]

So, Match.com's revenue was up 25% in 2006 over 2005 to $311,000,000, yet Marcus is convinced paid dating is dead or dying?

Would someone please tell Match's subscribers this? Because, apparently, they are unaware;-)

[Fernando Ardenghi]

* "There are 64 million online singles in China.", "China offers a lucrative long term opportunity."

Different from other countries, where women population are nearly 1.15 times the men population (there is always more women than men) Chinese Population will be severe unbalanced until next / for to 20 years. (until 2025) There will be nearly 40 million men more than women!!!!
There will be nearly 40 million single-men looking for single-women.

They will need a "high quality personality matching method" using the Chinese version of the 16PF5, because
"analyses of specific attachment styles revealed that secure romantic attachment was normative in 79% of cultures and that preoccupied romantic attachment was particularly prevalent in East Asian cultures",
extracted from
"PATTERNS AND UNIVERSALS OF ADULT ROMANTIC ATTACHMENT ACROSS 62 CULTURAL REGIONS Are Models of Self and of Other Pancultural Constructs?"
JOURNAL OF CROSS-CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY, Vol. 35 No. 4, July 2004 367-402
http://www.bradley.edu/academics/las/psy/pdfs/schmitt%5B1%5D%5B1%5D.etal.2004.romatt.jccp.pdf

Kindest Regards,
Fernando Ardenghi.
Buenos Aires.
Argentina.
[email protected]

[Dave Evans]

We'll see how Match is able to leverage the social networking site. They can't take the chance to integrate, most likely a standalone service responsible for revenue and a channel to sell dating services to.

[Markus]

I think they are big in mobile unless i've confused them with another big free site in europe.. (there are a handful)