JDate / Spark Networks For Sale

NY TIMES -- Jan 4 --  The owner of JDate.com, Spark Networks, is in early talks with buyers that include Yahoo, eHarmony, IAC/InterActiveCorp (Match.com), and News Corp. (MySpace). Analysts suggested that a suitor might pay as much as $185 million for the company. According to comScore Media Metrix, Spark had 2.45 million unique visitors in November 2007, ranking it No. 4 among personal sites behind Yahoo Personals, Match.com sites and Singlesnet.com. Spark reported $6.56 million in net income with revenue of $68.85 million for 2006. "JDate is the best example of a successful niche dating site on the planet," said Mark Brooks, who follows the industry and is author of the blog OnlinePersonalsWatch.com. "It's a very attractive target," Mr. Brooks said, adding that for social (dating) sites to work well, "the big sites need to get bigger. The more people on a site, the more the site has to offer." FULL ARTICLE @ NEW YORK TIMES