Match Group CFO Talks Facebook Dating and Q1 Earnings Report

Match Group’s Chief Financial Officer Gary Swidler has been talking to Yahoo Finance following the release of the dating umbrella’s Q1 earnings.

The total revenue of $465 million exceeded Wall Street predictions and the market has reacted positively, with the share price increasing by 12% since the news was broken.

Swidler reiterated the company’s desire to focus on Asia and he hopes the region will become a big growth driver in the near future. Currently 10% of Match Group’s revenue comes from the continent but there are plans to turn that into 25% over the next couple of years.

Match Group has always been positive about the impending battle with Facebook, and Swidler mirrored Mandy Ginsberg when he assured investors that the firm has not been impacted in any of the countries where Facebook Dating has launched.

The contest in Asia is likely to be interesting as Facebook Dating is already available in Thailand, The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos.

Swidler told Yahoo Finance: “We’re watching [Facebook], obviously they’re a huge player with a huge user base, especially internationally, so we’re not taking anything for granted.

“We know this incredibly well and we feel good about the comfort users have with our product. The features that we offer are really compelling for daters and we’re driving our business.”  

The interview concluded by discussing Hinge, which Match Group acquired in February. The CFO admitted that while they are in no real rush to monetise, they will likely introduce premium features that are similar to Tinder’s.

Hinge has been expanding well, both in the US and overseas. London is currently the app’s second largest market.

Watch the full interview here.