Internet Dating Video News Summaries

Internet Dating Video News Summary #17

OPW Weekly News Summary November 12th, 2009 from Mark Brooks on Vimeo.

Hello, and welcome to Online Personal Watch’s Weekly News Roundup. I’m Mark Brooks, and here are the latest headlines from around the industry.

Hitwise has released their online dating rankings for October. In the United States, there was no change in the order of the top 10. PlentyofFish remained #1 in total site visits. Match came in second, followed by Singlesnet, Yahoo Personals, DateHookup, eHarmony, Adam4Adam, TRUE, SeniorPeopleMeet and BlackPeopleMeet.

Yet abroad, the big mover and shaker was Indian dating site Shaadi. In just a month, Shaadi leapt from #21 to #11 in the U.K. and #16 to #9 in Canada.

Also on the rise: Canadian versions of mainstream U.S. dating sites. While Match.com stayed steady at #4, Match Canada jumped up from #14 to #8 and Yahoo Personals Canada rose from #13 to #10. 

October in Canada was not as kind to Christian Mingle and Singlesnet. Both sites plummeted five spots over the course of the month. Christian Mingle dropped from #7 to #12 and Singlesnet fell from #10 to #15.

There was more bad news for Christian Mingle. The site’s parent company, Spark Networks, reported revenue in the third quarter dropped by 21% to $11.1 million. That’s down from $14 million from the same period last year.

Paid subscriptions are also down by 12% from the third quarter of last year. Spark’s number of paying members now stands at around 187,000.

In terms of net income, Spark raised $1 million in the third quarter of 2009. That’s 5 cents a share. In comparison, Spark in the third quarter of 2008 brought in $1.7 million in net income, or 8 cents a share.

In addition to Christian Mingle, Spark also operates several other targeted sites, like BlackSingles and most significantly, their hallmark Jewish dating site, JDate. For more information on Spark’s third quarter results, visit opw1.com.

European dating network Meetic also published an earnings report this week. During the first nine months of 2009, the company was able to consolidate activity at Match International. In turn, Meetic’s revenue grew approximately 21% to 117.2 million Euros. In the third quarter alone, Meetic earned 47.1 million Euro in revenue and acquired 25,000 subscribers. For a more detailed look at Meetic’s recent earnings report, also head over to opw1.com.

Perhaps Spark and Meetic could increase their revenue by focusing on senior singles, a group now totaling 16 million, according to Senior-Dating.org. The site predicts that number will likely double within the next 30 years.

eHarmony’s membership statistics certainly support this prediction. The Detriot Free Press reports that eHarmony saw a 20% increase in users over 60 during the first quarter of 2009, compared with the same time last year. Another interesting statistic -- 40% of seniors now have a computer at home, according to Senior-Dating.org.

Let’s move on from senior singles and talk about Gelato. No, not the dessert. The new site that combines online dating and real-time search. Gelato users create profiles by importing information from their accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Netflix and more. In an interview with Online Personals Watch, Gelato founder Steve Odom explained why he thought his dating site was unique:

“We’ve all heard problems of people fibbing on their profile. Um, and Gelato it’s what you’re actually doing. Its stuff you’re doing at Twitter or Flicker, so it’s more authentic. You get a better idea of, um, who I really am. Instead of thinking about my favorite movies, ah, I can also write about them but also show you what I’ve rented at Netflix. And that tells you more; it gives you a much more richer view of what kind of movies I like.”

Gelato plans to eventually charge for premium memberships, which will include special features like match alerts and profile analytics.

Finally, you have until November 15th to get your nominations in for the 1st ever Internet Dating Industry Awards. Let your voice be heard. Submit your picks for the best dating site, best matchmaker, best dating software provider, most innovative company and more. Awards will be handed out in a special ceremony on Jan. 28 during the 7th Annual Internet Dating Conference in Miami.

This edition of Online Personal Watch’s Weekly News Roundup has been sponsored by Talkster. Talkster, your best option for robust anonymous calling solutions.

That’s all for this week’s news roundup. Tune in again next week as we bring you the latest and greatest from the world of online dating. No ads, no fluff, just raw news and CEO interviews. I’m Mark Brooks.  Thank you.

Internet Dating News Briefing #7

Online Personals Watch Weekly News Summary #7, May 18th, 2009 from Mark Brooks on Vimeo.

Hello, and welcome to the Monday May 18th, edition of Online Personal Watch’s Weekly News Roundup. I’m Mark Brooks, we're in Malta this week, and this is what made industry news this week.

Basisnote is developing technology to match couples based on the genetic components of the human immune system -- and their odor. Studies have shown that people are most likely to be attracted to the smells of those who have different histocompatibility genes than their own. With Basisnote, clients order a test and receive it two days later. Then they swab their cheeks and put the sample into a machine. Ten minutes later out pops a code of 0's and 1's. A client enters their unique code on Basisnote's Web site, and the software matches them to a person with a completely different immune system. Much like the Paula Abdul song, opposite immune systems attract.

SpeedDate.com, the world’s first speed dating Web site, announced the availability of its Android application, allowing singles to effortlessly connect with potential matches from their mobile phone. SpeedDate is a free service which gives singles the ability to connect via three-minute instant messages or live video dates. They are the first major dating site to launch an Android application, which is completely integrated with the web site. After experiencing such tremendous success with the newly released iPhone application, Android was the ideal next step to bring the convenience of SpeedDate.com to those engaged in online dating.

Earlier this week, Craigslist announced that they are no longer allowing new ads to be posted on their controversial “Erotic Services” section. In its place, Craigslist will erect a pricier and moderated option termed “Adult Services”. Adult services listings will cost $10 per post, and go through a manual approval process. Fees for Erotic Services listings were being donated to charity, but its not yet clear if Craigslist is planning on doing the same with the new fee. The announcement sounds like less of an actual change in policy by Craigslist, and more of a reactionary switch to avoid legal repercussions.

Adbrite founder Philip Kaplan is adding another Twitter application to his name. He recently created both Tweetname, which registers website domain names, and Fast140, a Twitter speed typing game. Now he is launching Flirt140, a flirting and dating site for Twitter. The new site is free and allows users to search for other Twitter users by gender, geographic area and keyword. Flirt140 also allows members to send direct messages to anyone on Twitter, whether or not they are following each other.

Spark Networks recently released their first quarter 2009 operating results, and unfortunately the numbers are not looking good. Net revenues decreased 20% to $12 million in Q1/2009 compared to $15 million in Q1/2008. Net revenues for the Jewish Networks segment decreased 12.5% to $7.6 million. The decrease in net revenues is primarily driven by a lower average paying subscriber base. Net revenues for the General Market Networks segment decreased 63.5% to $940,000. Spark Networks CEO Adam Berger stated that the company is now in the midst of an investment cycle to reduce their dependence on one brand, and remains optimistic for the future.

According to the projections of EmPower Research, the online matrimony market in India is poised to grow in the next few years, with a revenue-generation of $63 million and a user-registration of 21 million people by 2011. Shaadi.com, India’s leading matrimony site, currently has 11 million subscribers and 200 million page views per month. In 2004 they launched a brick and mortar storefront to reach people without internet access, and now have a network of 250 centers in 87 cities. Sensing the growth potential of e-matrimony, other sites have jumped on board. Jeevansathi.com has nearly 2.5 million registrants, 14 brick-and-mortar centers and is the country’s third ranked matrimony site.

ABC News recently did a piece on wealthy men being blackmailed through sugar daddy dating sites. Sites like SeekingArrangement.com can be fertile ground for con artists who take advantage of men with deep pockets. Young women, and even couples or husbands of these women, are threatening to expose the secret sex lives of wealthy men unless a ransom is paid to keep them quiet. While this type of situation is fairly uncommon, one man in the article had been blackmailed 3 separate times. EstablishedMen.com does not allow the "money for sex element" that typifies many of the other sites, banning girls from asking for an "allowance." However ABCNews.com was told by EstablishedMen that "with any relationship service there is an inherent risk of deception between users which we cannot 100% control."

And lastly, love is literally in the air at Air New Zealand. The airline is flying singles from Los Angeles to Auckland on October 13, 2009 with the aim of each passenger finding love in air or in New Zealand. Matchmaking Flight passengers will be encapsulated in the matchmaking experience, including a pre-flight gate party; themed food, drink, and games throughout the flight; entertainment; and a large-scale, singles-only party at the SKYCITY Convention Centre in Auckland. Matchmaking excursion packages are also available once passengers arrive in New Zealand and are ready to experience the country. Fasten your seatbelts for this one!

That’s all for this week’s edition of OPW’s Weekly News Roundup. Tune in again next week as we bring you the latest and greatest from the world of online dating. No ads, no fluff, just raw news and CEO interviews served up daily. I’m Mark Brooks.