Four Dating Brands Join ODA As Regulatory Body Pushes Mobile Influence

The ODA has just announced four new online dating members, as it looks to welcome more mobile apps to help grow its influence & more roundly represent the dating industry.

The UK-based regulatory body today announced that mobile startups Rendeevoo, HerSmile & Clocked have joined as members, as well as established player D8 Worldwide, which runs AsianD8 & Muslim and Single.

The ODA said the four businesses are examples of the thriving dating market, and their membership shows the willingness amongst the industry to work together to improve standards, user experience and safety.

Speaking about the news, ODA Chief Executive George Kidd said: “We are delighted to welcome these new members. Most are “pure” apps and it’s particularly important that standards and a collective responsibility for a healthy market is there in the app space.

“We need to work closely with members to address any unique characteristics with apps – making sure we have the right standards, user advice and relationships to support them is critical to keeping this market open and strong.”

Launched in January 2014 as the industry’s standards body, the ODA is responsible for setting and maintaining standards within the online dating sector.

It also works to ensure the industry is properly represented in the media, as well as giving the industry a stronger voice on discussions with the government, regulators & other third parties.

Over the past two years, the body has also developed relationships with many of the industry’s top dating brands, counting companies like Match.com, eHarmony & Lovestruck amongst its founding members.

And George Kidd said it will be announcing new online dating members & associates in the next few weeks, with this latest news “just the beginning” of an uptick in partnerships.

Check out our video interview with the ODA Chief Executive below, where he discusses industry maturity, ISP filters & the future of online dating.