Latest news with #Match
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Our world on autoplay: K Narayanan writes on 20 years of YouTube
All stories begin somewhere. Finding out where isn't always easy, and this is especially true of YouTube. The facts are straightforward. The video-sharing platform, now believed to be the second-most-visited site in the world (after Google), was incorporated in 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim. One could say the story began three years earlier, when eBay took over PayPal, causing a culture clash that led 38 of the original 50 PayPal employees to quit. Among these were PayPal co-founders Elon Musk and Peter Thiel; future venture capitalists David O Sacks and Roelof Botha; and the three future founders of YouTube. One could also go further back, to 1995 and the launch of one of the earliest dating platforms on the internet. The use of computers in matchmaking is older than the internet, going all the way back to a 1959 Stanford project that used an IBM 650 to connect 49 men with an equal number of women. But for Gary Kremen, the founder of Match, it wasn't as easy. He wanted to use data to help people connect. He wanted to be able to feed in hobbies, professions, height, weight; anything that could influence affinity. But there was a problem. In 1995, the internet was overwhelmingly male. Without significant female participation, Kremen knew Match was doomed to failure. The story of may seem tangential to the story of YouTube, but when Chen, Hurley and Karim started their company, they visualised it as an online dating platform where men and women would post videos about themselves that prospective partners could watch. They even had a slogan: Tune In, Hook Up. Ten years after the launch of Match, the internet had changed a great deal. But it was still male-dominated, and online dating was viewed with suspicion. The new company just couldn't get women to post videos of themselves. Chen, Karim and Hurley even posted on Craigslist, offering women $20 to post videos of themselves on the platform. There were still no takers. So they performed arguably the most effective pivot in internet history, and opened up the platform to any sort of video. *** The pivot was informed by one of the most significant sports events of the Aughts: the 2004 Superbowl halftime show, featuring Kid Rock, P Diddy, Nelly and, most famously, Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake. Towards the end of the performance, Timberlake ripped off a portion of Jackson's top, exposing her breast. The resulting scandal nearly destroyed Jackson's career. Despite being broadcast live on TV, clips of the incident were next to impossible to find online a year later, giving Chen and the others the idea of a broad-based video-hosting platform. Karim was the first to post on YouTube, that now-tiresomely-famous 19-second video of him standing in front of the elephant enclosure at the San Diego Zoo. The video, still on the platform, now has over 360 million views — a significant number, but one that pales, for instance, in comparison to Baby Shark (2016), which has over 15 billion. And there were other videos: brutal clips from the war raging in Iraq, videos of war crimes committed by American soldiers at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Disturbingly, for the corporate world, movies, music videos and TV show episodes began to show up in their entirety. Corporate lawyers rubbed their hands in glee and, by the end of 2006, the platform was facing a deluge of copyright-violation suits. *** In November 2006, Google executive Jeff Huber emailed Peter Chane, the Google Video product manager, saying YouTube was 'cranking interesting features a lot faster than we are, but don't likely have a backend that will scale or plan to make money'. Chane responded that Google Video had plans to catch up, and that YouTube was angling to be acquired by Yahoo. The thread went on, until Google co-founder Larry Page stepped in with a single sentence: 'I think we should look into acquiring them.' A year later, the acquisition was complete. YouTube had been looking for a buyer. There had been informal conversations with companies such as Microsoft, Yahoo and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. Google moved faster. Their biggest concern were the copyright-violation suits, and the promise of more to come, but Google was confident they could work this out. The price they paid was a jaw-dropping $1.65 billion in stock — an unheard-of sum for a company with no revenue model yet. Pundits muttered about risk, but two decades on, the YouTube acquisition has paid off many times over. And when it came to the legal hassles, they did figure it out. 2007 saw the launch of Content ID, an automated system that checks posts for copyright violations. It also saw the launch of the YouTube Partner Program, in which content creators could monetise their videos by allowing the insertion of ads, building on synergies with Google's own AdSense system. Today, this programme is the cornerstone of the 'creator economy' and has helped make YouTube one of the most successful monetisation systems on the internet. *** Just four years after they bought it, in 2010, Google announced that YouTube had registered a profit. It was doing a lot more than that. It had started to spawn its own superstars: PewDiePie (the Swede Felix Kjellberg, who started out making gaming videos and has since built a side hustle in online feuds), Pomplamoose (the husband-wife musical duo of Nataly Dawn and Jack Conte), Michelle Phan (the future beauty influencer), Jenna Marbles (a comedian and the first woman to hit a billion views). In 2012, Korean popstar Psy's Gangnam Style became the first video to hit a billion views, and K-pop began to travel the world. The video was so popular that it broke YouTube's view counter, which at the time maxed out at 2.147 billion views. The next few years saw a range of new product launches: YouTube Kids, for children's content; YouTube Gaming, to compete with Twitch; YouTube Red, which would become YouTube Premium, offering ad-free content. When Covid-19 struck, it had a major impact on YouTube, driving massive surges in viewership, content creation and revenue. Amid rolling lockdowns around the world, people turned to the platform for entertainment, education, new, fitness videos and recipe videos, leading to record-setting usage across the platform. Ad revenue nearly doubled, rising from over $15 billion in 2019 to $28.8 billion in 2021. *** There are competitors, of course. TikTok and Instagram Reels focus on short videos and encourage endless scrolling more directly. Twitch targets gamers effectively. Streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime are competing for the viewer's time and attention. But YouTube rolls on, regardless. It hasn't all been smooth sailing. Small creators have felt unfairly penalised by the algorithm, which tends to promote videos with 10,000 or more views. There was Elsagate, in which bizarre and brutal cartoon videos gamed the YouTube Kids algorithm to garner millions of views, at least some of them from children on devices set to autoplay. The platform has also been accused of being a hotbed of political misinformation and disinformation. As for the future, like everything tech these days, it seems likely that AI will be involved. (Maybe the next product will generate videos based on text prompts.) There is also the anti-trust litigation facing Google, and a divestiture of YouTube is a possibility here. Google Search and Google Ads could be split up, which could disrupt the creator economy at the heart of the video platform. At the moment, it remains the platform that binds the world. Whether it's a security guard on the night shift watching a movie, a traveller on a train watching a talk show, a pensioner watching a devotional song, a child watching a cartoon or a student at a virtual lecture, this is where most of the world hits play. (K Narayanan writes on films, videogames, books and occasionally technology)
The Star
a day ago
- Business
- The Star
Tinder bets on group dating feature to win back Gen Z
Tired of navigating the online dating landscape alone? Now you can swipe right along with friends. Tinder launched a double-dating feature on June 17, allowing users to create joint profiles with friends to match with other pairs. Double Date, as the feature is called, is the refined version of the failed 2016 product Tinder Social, which was discontinued in 2017 over privacy concerns and user confusion about its purpose. To activate Double Date, users select up to three friends to create a pair with. Then they can browse and like other paired users. When both pairs like each other, a group chat opens between all four people to coordinate plans. The feature also allows users to message individuals within a matched pair privately if they want to transition to a one-on-one conversation. Users can maintain multiple pairings with different friends while keeping their individual dating profile separate. The feature was popular with young users when it was tested in Europe and Latin America. Cleo Long, Tinder's head of product marketing, said the feature is meant to help relieve dating stress for younger users. 'This is a social-first experience that's really meant to help relieve some of the pressure that we know a lot of Gen Z experiences with dating by making it more social, more fun, and bringing your friends in to help reinforce that comfort piece,' Long said. Tinder said nearly 90% of people who tried Double Date were under 29, aligning with the company's push to retain Gen Z. The group dynamic appears to resonate with women, who were three times more likely to show interest in paired profiles compared to individual ones during testing. Users in group chats also sent significantly more messages – about 35% more than typical one-on-one conversations. The company said the feature helped bring users to the platform. About 15% of people who accepted Double Date invitations were either completely new to Tinder or returning after a period of inactivity. The positive testing results prompted Tinder to accelerate its US launch ahead of schedule. Tinder is owned by Match Group Inc, the company behind Hinge and OkCupid. It is facing mounting pressure on its business. In the first quarter of 2025, Match Group reported a 5% decline in paying subscribers across all its apps, while Tinder saw a 7% decrease in subscriptions. In response to these shifts, Match made the decision to lay off approximately 325 employees, or 13% of its workforce. These recent losses are part of a broader pattern. Tinder's paying user base has slipped from more than 11 million subscribers in late 2022 to roughly 9.1 million today. The consistent decline has caught the attention of activist investors, including Elliott Investment Management. The mounting pressure led to significant leadership changes within the company. In May, Tinder chief executive Faye Iosotaluno announced she would step down in July after less than two years in the role. Spencer Rascoff, who was appointed Match chief executive in February to tackle the slowdown in user engagement, stepped in to lead Tinder directly. Rascoff has outlined an ambitious technology-focused turnaround plan. In an internal memo viewed by the Wall Street Journal , he called on staff to speed up product changes and use artificial intelligence, emphasising that employees should prioritise user experience over short-term revenue. The company has rolled out AI features that help users create better profiles and prompt them to reconsider potentially inappropriate messages before sending them. Tinder has also launched 'The Game Game', which uses OpenAI's speech-to-speech technology to let users practice flirting with AI-generated personas in over-the-top scenarios designed to reduce dating anxiety through humour. During the company's first quarter earnings call, Rascoff noted that Match's apps have fallen out of favour with younger daters because many saw using them as a 'numbers game'. He believes Double Date can help shift perceptions, calling it less 'hook-uppy' and more about having 'a good time as friends'. Tinder's struggles reflect broader trends in the dating app industry. Dating apps have been losing their appeal amongst singles in recent years, especially Gen Z, the generation born between 1997 and 2012. Only 26% of online dating services users in the US are 18 to 29 years old, while 30 to 49-year-olds comprise 61% of that same user base. Gen Z increasingly prefers meeting potential partners through mutual friends and real-world gatherings. Los Angeles has become a testing ground for dating alternatives that skip swiping entirely. Start-ups like El Segundo-based First Round's on Me encourage immediate in-person meetups, while Venice's Lox Club hosts weekly community events for singles to mingle. Whether Double Date can reverse Tinder's fortunes remains to be seen, but Rascoff is betting that the future of dating lies not in perfecting the swipe, but in reimagining how people connect. Gen Z is 'not a hookup generation', he said. 'They don't drink as much alcohol, they don't have as much sex. We need to adapt our products to accept that reality.' – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Tinder bets on group dating feature to win back Gen Z
Tired of navigating the online dating landscape alone? Now you can swipe right along with friends. Tinder launched a double-dating feature Tuesday, allowing users to create joint profiles with friends to match with other pairs. Double Date, as the feature is called, is the refined version of the failed 2016 product Tinder Social, which was discontinued in 2017 over privacy concerns and user confusion about its purpose. To activate Double Date, users select up to three friends to create a pair with. Then they can browse and like other paired users. When both pairs like each other, a group chat opens between all four people to coordinate plans. The feature also allows users to message individuals within a matched pair privately if they want to transition to a one-on-one conversation. Users can maintain multiple pairings with different friends while keeping their individual dating profile separate. The feature was popular with young users when it was tested in Europe and Latin America. Cleo Long, Tinder's head of product marketing, said the feature is meant to help relieve dating stress for younger users. 'This is a social-first experience that's really meant to help relieve some of the pressure that we know a lot of Gen Z experiences with dating by making it more social, more fun, and bringing your friends in to help reinforce that comfort piece,' Long said. Tinder said nearly 90% of people who tried Double Date were under 29, aligning with the company's push to retain Gen Z. The group dynamic appears to resonate with women, who were three times more likely to show interest in paired profiles compared to individual ones during testing. Users in group chats also sent significantly more messages – about 35% more than typical one-on-one conversations. The company said the feature helped bring users to the platform. About 15% of people who accepted Double Date invitations were either completely new to Tinder or returning after a period of inactivity. The positive testing results prompted Tinder to accelerate its U.S. launch ahead of schedule. Tinder is owned by Match Group Inc., the company behind Hinge and OkCupid. It is facing mounting pressure on its business. In the first quarter of 2025, Match Group reported a 5% decline in paying subscribers across all its apps, while Tinder saw a 7% decrease in subscriptions. In response to these shifts, Match made the decision to lay off approximately 325 employees or 13% of its workforce. These recent losses are part of a broader pattern. Tinder's paying user base has slipped from more than 11 million subscribers in late 2022 to roughly 9.1 million today. The consistent decline has caught the attention of activist investors, including Elliott Investment Management. The mounting pressure led to significant leadership changes within the company. In May, Tinder CEO Faye Iosotaluno announced she would step down in July after less than two years in the role. Spencer Rascoff, who was appointed Match CEO in February to tackle the slowdown in user engagement, stepped in to lead Tinder directly. Rascoff has outlined an ambitious technology-focused turnaround plan. In an internal memo viewed by the Wall Street Journal, he called on staff to speed up product changes and use artificial intelligence, emphasizing that employees should prioritize user-experience over short-term revenue. The company has rolled out AI features that help users create better profiles and prompt them to reconsider potentially inappropriate messages before sending them. Tinder has also launched 'The Game Game,' which uses OpenAIs speech-to-speech technology to let users practice flirting with AI-generated personas in over-the-top scenarios designed to reduce dating anxiety through humor. During the company's first quarter earnings call, Rascoff noted that Match's apps have fallen out of favor with younger daters because many saw using them as a 'numbers game.' He believes Double Date can help shift perceptions, calling it less 'hook-uppy' and more about having 'a good time as friends.' Tinder's struggles reflect broader trends in the dating app industry. Dating apps have been losing their appeal amongst singles in recent years, especially Gen Z, the generation born between 1997 and 2012. Only 26% of online dating services users in the U.S. are 18 to 29 years old, while 30 to 49-year-olds comprise 61% of that same user base. Gen Z increasingly prefers meeting potential partners through mutual friends and real-world gatherings. Los Angeles has become a testing ground for dating alternatives that skip swiping entirely. Startups like El Segundo-based First Round's on Me encourage immediate in-person meetups, while Venice's Lox Club hosts weekly community events for singles to mingle. Whether Double Date can reverse Tinder's fortunes remains to be seen, but Rascoff is betting that the future of dating lies not in perfecting the swipe, but in reimagining how people connect. 'At the end of the day, dating should feel less like work and more like play,' he said.
Business Wire
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
First Internet Bank Secures $125,000 Grant for Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership
FISHERS, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--First Internet Bank announced today that it has assisted the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership (INHP) in securing a $125,000 grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis (FHLBank Indianapolis) through its new Community Multiplier–Member Match program. 'We commend FHLBank Indianapolis for its novel approach. In addition to partnering with member banks and not-for-profits, they invest ten percent of their annual net earnings back into affordable housing and community development-related initiatives,' said Nicole Lorch, First Internet Bank President and Chief Operating Officer and INHP board member. 'We are passionate about creating pathways to affordable housing in and around the city where so many of our employees and customers reside. This grant further enables INHP to provide critical counseling services that help transform lives and enhance our neighborhoods.' The grant will support INHP's housing counseling programs that help renters and aspiring homebuyers in Marion County (Indiana) overcome barriers to homeownership. 'FHLBank Indianapolis' innovative Community Multiplier funding program and First Internet Bank's commitment to unlocking $125,000 in matching grant dollars will be instrumental toward INHP increasing affordable and sustainable housing opportunities in our community,' said Gina Miller, president and CEO at INHP. 'Through their partnership, many hardworking Indianapolis residents will be making the dream of homeownership a reality – even during a nationwide housing affordability crisis.' The Community Multiplier–Member Match program, launched on March 27, 2025, provides grants between $25,000 and $125,000 to not-for-profit organizations headquartered in Indiana or Michigan that partner with FHLBank Indianapolis member financial institutions on targeted affordable housing initiatives. The program requires a 10% matching fund commitment from the member financial institution. To learn more about First Internet Bank, please visit For more information about INHP's affordable housing solutions, please visit About First Internet Bank First Internet Bank opened for business in 1999 as an industry pioneer in the branchless delivery of banking services. With assets of $5.8 billion as of March 31, 2025, the Bank provides consumer and small business deposits, consumer loans and specialty finance services nationally. The Bank also offers commercial real estate loans, commercial and industrial loans, SBA financing and treasury management services. Additional information about the Bank, including its products and services, is available at The Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Internet Bancorp (Nasdaq: INBK). First Internet Bank is a Member FDIC. About Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership The Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership (INHP) creates affordable housing solutions for people with low and moderate incomes, and collaborates to enhance quality of life in Indianapolis neighborhoods. INHP supports people by providing homebuyer and financial education, one-on-one homeownership advising, home purchase and home repair lending, and housing stability programming for renters participating in economic mobility initiatives. As a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) INHP also supports the creation or preservation of affordable housing through investments in affordable housing development, land banking, community lending and grantmaking. For more information, visit
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- General
- Miami Herald
Lottery player wonders if he ‘wrote a number down wrong.' Turns out, he won big
When a man watching a Virginia Lottery drawing one night saw his numbers come up, he wondered if he'd made a mistake. But he really won the jackpot. Dwight Davis matched all five numbers in the Cash 5 with EZ Match drawing on June 2 and won the top prize of $255,000, the Virginia Lottery announced June 16. The Norfolk man often watches the drawings live, but this time, the numbers that came up looked familiar. 'I said, 'Wait a minute,'' he told lottery officials. ''Either I wrote a number down wrong, or I got this.'' Davis' Cash 5 ticket, which he bought at a local Food Lion grocery store, beat the 1-in-1,221,759 odds of matching five numbers ranging from one to 45, according to the Virginia Lottery. Norfolk is part of the Hampton Roads area on the southern coast of Virginia.
