Online Personals Watch: News on the Online Dating Industry and Business

Paktor Raises $32.5M

E27 - Oct 31 - Four months after Paktor raised $10M, Singapore-based social dating platform has announced a new funding of $32.5M, led by K2Global and existing investor, Indonesian conglomerate PT Media Nusantara Citra Tbk. The funds, which bring its total capital to $57.5M, will be used to further expand Paktor's product portfolio into social entertainment arena. Paktor is Asia's Tinder. The app launched in 2013 and claims to have 20M users.

by Yon Heong Tung
See full article at Yahoo! News Singapore

See all posts on Paktor

This post also appears on InternetDatingInvestments.

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

LuvByrd Is A Dating App For Outdoor Enthusiasts

VERGECAMPUS - Oct 31 - LuvByrd is a dating app for outdoors lovers. Despite originating for skiers, users can choose from many outdoor activities when creating their profile such as camping, hiking, rock climbing, photography, snowshoeing, sledding, etc. It is completely free to use unless users want to see who "likes" them and who has viewed their profiles.

by Emma Elliot
See full article at VergeCampus

See all posts on LuvByrd

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Match.com's Profits Down As Britons Turn To Free Dating Apps

THE GUARDIAN - Oct 29 - Match.com operating profits plunged by 80% to £1.6M in the year to 31 December. Turnover was also down more than 10% at £38.2M as apps such as Tinder changed the nature of online dating. "The industry is in a bit of a crusher," said Mark Brooks, analyst at consultancy Courtland Brooks. "The mobile medium has come of age and over 70% of Internet daters in the UK are just using their smartphones. It's an amazing transition that has truly roiled the dating industry. If Match is suffering, their competitors are suffering more."

"Smartphone growth is an opportunity more than a challenge," continues Brooks. "Laggard dating companies that have not created compelling mobile experiences are dying. Most old school incumbents have stumbled in this respect." Research firm Mintel predicts that despite the current upheaval the UK online dating industry will grow from £165M to £225M by 2019.

by Zoe Wood & Sarah Butler
See full article at The Guardian

See all posts on Match.com

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

India's Millennials Are Turning To Home-grown Dating Apps

THE NATIONAL - Oct 29 - In India arranged marriages continue to be the norm. A 2013 survey revealed that 75% of young Indians prefer arranged marriages. ~22M Indians use matrimonial sites such as BharatMatrimony, Shaadi.com and Jeevansathi. "India has 100M people over the age of 21 who are looking for partners. For them, matrimonial sites, with parents interfering, are not cool," says Hitesh Dhingra, co-founder of dating app TrulyMadly. TrulyMadly launched in India in 2014. It verifies personal details of its users because fake profiles are a big problem in India. ~3M Indians have downloaded dating app Woo. Woo demonstrates the rise of home-grown dating apps in India. While Tinder is well known, the indigenous online offerings are tailored to Indian cultural needs. Other apps include Aisle, which describes itself as a cross between a dating and a matrimonial app. Another offering is Floh (Find Life Over Here), which operates in 15 cities and five countries.

by Amrit Dhillon
See full article at The National

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Bumble To Launch Business Social Network BumbleBizz

OBSERVER - Oct 27 - After launching BumbleBFF, a friend finder for women, the company is moving into professional connections with BumbleBizz, to launch this holiday season. Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe would like Bumble to be Facebook for people you don't know. "It's like the hyper-local version of LinkedIn, but with really clear connections versus missed opportunities," she said adding that BumbleBizz will have in-person meet ups. Similar to Bumble and BumbleBFF, women will make the first move on BumbleBizz.

by Meredith Lepore
See full article at Observer

See all posts on Bumble

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

'Snap' Trademark Fight Waged Ahead Of Snapchat IPO

REUTERS - Oct 27 - Snap Inc, the newly named parent company of U.S. messaging and photo-sharing app Snapchat is facing a new lawsuit claiming it stole the trade name and reputation of an online dating services company Snap Interactive Inc. In a trademark lawsuit filed on Tuesday, Snap Interactive said the harm it is suffering is heightened by Snap's plans to go public next year in what is expected to be one of the biggest tech initial public offerings of the year.

by Eric M. Johnson
See full article at Reuters

See all posts on Snap Interactive

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

The League Brings Invite-only Dating App To Chicago

CHICAGO TRIBUNE - Oct 27 - The League, an invite-only dating app, has just launched in Chicago. Of the 2k accepted Chicago members, 9% have an MBA, 5% have a law degree, and 3% have an M.D., the company said. 13k daters are on the waiting list, according to the company. But when they pride themselves on accepting only the cream of the crop, niche apps might have to sacrifice growth for reputation. Mark Brooks, an online dating industry analyst who runs Online Personals Watch, cited services like BeautifulPeople.com and other dating sites that proclaim themselves to be "elite." To grow, "Do you start being not so elite?" Brooks said. "These apps are limited in how much they can grow."

by Meg Graham
See full article at Chicago Tribune

See all posts on The League

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Dating App Jack'd To Remain Free Contrary To Recent Reports

ABOUT-ONLINE - Oct 27 - Contrary to a recent Bloomberg report that dating apps are switching over to pay models, Jack'd, a hook-up gay app, says it will remain free. "Our research continues to show that our targeted demographic does not pay for music, games, movies, or dating," stated Phil Henricks, VP of Strategy and Business Development at Online Buddies, the parent company of Jack'd. Jack'd's monetization is through selling ads to corporations. ~60% of Jack'd's revenue comes from Fortune 500 companies, clothing retailers, and the tourism industry, all of whom have run banners on the app in recent weeks. 

See full article at About-Online

See all posts on Jack'd

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Elenasmodels.com Displays "Response Rates" In Profiles

PRESS RELEASE - Oct 27 - International dating site Elenasmodels.com introduced a "Response Rate" feature in its latest system update. Profiles now display the percentage of replies a user provided to previous requests. Elena Petrova, the founder of Elenasmodels.com, believes that even candidates who prefer to ignore incoming mails may put a bit more effort in the initial communication.

See all posts on Elena's Models

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Controversial Sugar Daddy Dating Site's Billboard Gets Removed

FUSION.NET - Oct 26 - A controversial Texas billboard inviting undocumented immigrants to find their "sugar daddy" on an online dating site - The ArrangementFinders.com - was taken down after getting slammed by a wave of backlash from the local community and media.

by Rafa Fernandez de Castro
See full article at Fusion.net

See all posts on ArrangementFinders

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

1 Week Remains To Nominate For iDate Awards

WEBWIRE - Oct 26 - October 31 is the last day to make a nomination for the 2017 iDate Awards, also called "the Oscars for the Dating Industry." You can nominate in the following categories.

• Best Dating Site
• Best Matchmaker
• Best Software Provider
• Best Mobile Dating App
• Best Dating Site Design
• Best Dating Coach
• Most Innovative Company
• Best New Technology
• Best Payment System
• Best Affiliate Program
• Best Marketing Campaign
• Best Niche Dating Site
• Best Up and Coming Dating Site

The awards have the following schedule:

• Now to October 31 - Nominations Accepted
• Nov 7 to Jan 6, 2016 - Voting
• Jan 25, 2017 - Awards ceremony and winners announced.

See full article at Webwire

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Britney Spears Involved In Legal Dispute Over Bumble Dating App

NY DAILY NEWS - Oct 26 - Britney Spears is threatening to sue someone who posed as her rep to negotiate a huge deal to have Bumble fund her new music video, claiming that he went behind her back. Spears' lawyers claim Adam Kluger - who allegedly referred to himself as a rep for the singer - got Bumble to settle on a $800k deal that would place the company's name and branding all over Spears' next video. Despite the messy legal battle, Britney has worked out her own arrangement with Bumble, which will allow them to underwrite the video, but not show off any product placement.

by Nicole Bitette
See full article at NY Daily News

See all posts on Bumble

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

iDate Cyprus Review

OPW - Oct 26 - The last iDate Internet dating conference took place in Cyprus in July. This event's focus was on the Premium International dating industry. Here are the highlights from the conference. The next event will be in Miami in January 24 - 26, at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens.

Post by Courtland Brooks team

The League Dating App Is Launching In Chicago

CHICAGOINNO - Oct 25 - The League, an ultra-exlusive dating app for "ambitious high-achieving professionals", officially launched in Chicago. In Chicago, the app has selected 2,500 people out of the ~10k that signed up, the company says. "There was a high demand in Chicago, coupled with the fact that the City is a hotbed for startups and entrepreneurs, the decision was really a no brainer," said The League Founder and CEO Amanda Bradford. "The League isn't based on how much money you make, but rather your desire to succeed", she says.

by Jim Dallke
See full article at ChicagoInno

See all posts on The League

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team

Ashley Madison Has A Long Way To Go

BUSINESS INSIDER - Oct 26 - The parent company of Ashley Madison is trying to recover from a terrible year. Now rebranded as ruby Corp., the company formerly known as Avid Life Media is currently under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. Its new leadership team thinks it can turn all of that negativity around. It took nearly a year for the company to find a new CEO. In March 2016, a corporate headhunter reached out to Rob Segal, a marketer by trade. Since July, Ashley Madison has undergone a number of changes to win users back. One of the most notable is its pivot away from infidelity. Instead of the tagline "Life's short. Have an affair," it's website says simply: "Find your moment." "In the past it was very male-targeted," Segal said, adding that the rebrand was meant to make it more inclusive and "open-minded." The company also implemented Level 1 PCI Compliance for credit card processing, which means it has to undergo annual internal audits onsite and have its network scanned by an outside vendor. Female chat bots are also gone, according to the company.

by Paul Szoldra
See full article at Business Insider

See all posts on AshleyMadison

Summarized by the Courtland Brooks team