Thursday
Once-a-week dating app focused on real-world meetups.
Overview
Once-a-week dating app focused on real-world meetups.
DII Coverage
Thursday Claims a $50M Valuation. Three Years After It Promised to Prove the Model or Quit.
Thursday claims a $50M valuation, three years behind the 2021 public deadline set by co-founder George Rawlings The announcement comes months after reports that the once-a-week dating app faced potent…
TikTok Grew 200% While Instagram Flatlined. Dating Brands Still Have Not Made the Move.
TikTok follower growth exceeded 200% year-on-year in 2025, outpacing all major platforms Instagram delivered only mid-single-digit median follower growth whilst X recorded flat to negative movement An…
Ember's Anti-Swipe Pitch: A Threat to Match and Bumble's Economics?
Match Group share price has fallen over 60% from its 2021 peak due to stagnating Tinder growth and margin compression Bumble stock has collapsed roughly 80% since its IPO as dating app satisfaction pl…
Choremancing: The Economic Shift Dating Apps Can't Ignore
30% of American singles have tried chore-based dates, whilst 56% remain open to the concept 64% of respondents experience extreme anxiety during traditional first dates, rising to 72% amongst Gen X 78…
DUA AG's IRLY Acquisition: The Indie Label Dilemma in Dating Apps
DUA AG has acquired Vancouver-based personality-first dating app IRLY in an undisclosed all-cash deal IRLY emerged from UBC's entrepreneurship programme with internet personality Cameron Dallas as co-…
Singles Events Surge: A Symptom of App Fatigue, Not a Disruption
Match Group reported a 6% year-on-year decline in paying subscribers in Q3 2024, falling to 10.3 million users Bumble's revenue growth slowed to just 7% in Q3 2024, missing analyst expectations Single…
Tawkify's Long-Distance Data: A Mirage or Missed Opportunity?
65% of survey respondents would pursue long-distance relationships, with 84% prepared to relocate for the right partner Social media emerged as the top channel where long-distance relationships origin…
Meta and YouTube's Legal Battle: A Blueprint for Dating App Liability?
Over 1,600 plaintiffs from 350 families and 250 school districts are suing Meta and YouTube over addictive product design features targeting young users TikTok and Snap settled hours before trial, sug…
Left Field's Shark Tank Win: A Bet on Scarcity Over Swipe
Left Field secured £156,000 ($200,000) from Kendra Scott and Alexis Ohanian on Shark Tank for 8% equity plus 4% advisory shares The app limits users to just two algorithmically curated matches per wee…
Thursday's Pepsi Deal: Monetisation Masquerading as Community Building
Thursday has partnered with Pepsi UK to host a branded singles event on 12 February 2026 at The Ministry in Borough, with over 200 attendees expected The deal represents a shift from events as user re…
Pinterest's Media Planner: Table Stakes for Dating Advertisers
Pinterest's new Media Planner tool offers audience exploration, performance forecasting, and scenario modelling directly within Ads Manager Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and Google have offered comparable f…
QuackQuack's Data Signals End of Situationships for 25+ Singles
Nearly 60% of dating app users over 25 now prioritise establishing clear romantic intentions early, according to QuackQuack survey data Tinder's Year in Swipe data identify "Clear-Coding"—explicitly s…
TikTok's Uncertain Future: A Reckoning for Dating Apps' Growth Strategies
TikTok's latest extension expires 23 January 2026, with no final approval from ByteDance, investors or Chinese government on the Oracle-led divestiture deal TikTok has 170 million U.S. users, with a d…
X's API Ban on InfoFi Apps: A Warning Shot for Incentive Models
X has revoked API access for 'infoFi' apps that reward users with tokens or perks for posting promotional content The platform's head of product cites "tremendous amount of AI slop & reply spam" as th…
TikTok's 2026 Trends: A Reality Check for Dating Apps' Authenticity Claims
Dating apps have shifted user acquisition budgets to TikTok over the past three years following Apple's ATT framework disruption TikTok's 2026 trend report identifies three macro trends: 'Reali-TEA' (…
TikTok's SMB Play: A Lifeline for Niche Dating Apps or Another False Start?
Match Group and Bumble spend hundreds of millions annually on performance marketing through Meta and Google TikTok's new Channel Sales Partner category includes six specialist partners supporting tens…
Breeze's UK Launch Challenges Dating's Engagement-First Model
Dutch dating app Breeze has launched in the UK with a model that severely restricts pre-date messaging and pushes users straight to in-person meetings The approach directly challenges the engagement-f…
Indian Singles Set Deadlines. Dating Apps Face a Retention Crisis.
37% of 7,583 QuackQuack users now impose "sunset clauses" on dating app use—predetermined time limits of six to twelve months before reassessing their strategy Match Group reported Tinder's average re…