Match.com Declared as Europe's Number One in Online Dating

Match.com Declared as Europe's Number One in Online Dating

LONDON, December 2/PRNewswire/ --

- First comScore Media Metrix European ranking confirms Match.com leads
in unique visitors in the UK, in Europe - and the world



In its first report of pan-European Internet behaviour, independent
measurement firm comScore Media Metrix ranked Match.com as the leading online
dating site in Europe. According to comScore data, Match.com sites drew
nearly four million visitors in October, more than 60 percent than its
closest competitor.



When taking into account the company's partnerships with a number of
Europe's leading portals, Match.com's reach in Europe is even larger than the
core numbers indicate. comScore Media Metrix estimates that when Match.com's
partner sites such as MSN, Tiscali, AOL and Wanadoo are combined with Match-
owned properties, the company reached nearly 5.9 million visitors in October.



The report also indicates that more than 27 million people across Europe
- nearly one in five Internet users - use an online dating site each month.
Match.com is also number one in the comScore October 2004 global rankings,
with more than 15 million unique visitors. Match.com has been consistently
number one worldwide since comScore began tracking the personals sector
globally in February this year.



"We are delighted by this independent third-party confirmation of our
European leadership position - highlighting the tremendous growth we have
experienced and more importantly the invaluable service that we are providing
to our more than nine million registered users in Europe", said Kevin
Cornils, Managing Director of Match.com in Europe.



"Online dating is now showing every sign of becoming as natural a way to
meet people in Europe as it is elsewhere in the world. Whilst some
competitors have tried to copy us, the fact remains that Match.com is the
original and the best and our singles recognise that. Match.com has been
going for almost ten years and people appreciate the authority and experience
we bring to the serious business of bringing people together in a private and
secure way."



Match.com celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2005. Over the ten years it
has been in existence, more than 42 million people have been registered on
the service at one time or another. 80 per cent of its members are university
educated and work in managerial positions.



Match.com gets news of more than 200 marriages or engagements each month.
Last year, according to resignation survey data, more than 200,000 people
found the person they were looking for through Match.com.



The comScore European rankings for October are as follows:

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Name Unique visitors (000)
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1. Match.com sites 3,960
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2. Ilove.de 2,404
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3. Meetic 2,209
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4. MSN Dating and Personals 1,792
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5. Matchnet 1,310
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About Match.com



Match.com is biggest online dating and personals property in Europe, and
the world, according to the October 2004 ranking of the Personals category by
industry-leading independent measurement firm comScore Media Metrix.
Match.com operates leading subscription-based online dating sites in 32
countries, in 18 languages and spanning six continents. Since its launch in
1995, Match.com has led the way in providing adults worldwide with a fun,
private and secure environment for meeting each other. Based on resignation
survey data, Match.com calculates that more than 200,000 Match.com members
met the person they were seeking on the site in 2003 alone. Match.com powers
online dating on MSN across Europe, Asia, the United States, Australia
(NineMSN) and Latin America and for companies such as T-Online, RTL, Wanadoo,
Telia and Tiscali in Europe. Internationally, Match.com is the premier
provider of personals for Love@AOL, offering the Match.com service across
AOL.com and AOL.co.uk. Match.com is an operating business of
IAC/InterActiveCorp (Nasdaq: IACI).



Source: Match.com

For further press information, please contact : Big-mouths PR - Victoria McQuade, +44-(0)20-7385-0009, match@big-mouths.com


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