ABC Documentary "Hooking Up" Takes a Look at Internet Dating  7/14/05

'Hooking Up' - Finding Your Perfect Match in 2005

ABC Documentary Takes a Look at How Internet Dating Is Revolutionizing the Single Life!

SEATTLE, July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- 2005 -- With over 50 million people pursuing relationships online, ABC's new documentary "Hooking Up" premieres this Thursday, July 14, at 9:00 p.m. EDT / PDT. The show follows 11 women through a year of casual online dating to reveal both the good and the bad, and that attraction and deception often go hand in hand.

Since the mid 1990's when online dating first launched with sites like Kiss.com and Match.com, online dating has evolved into two distinct categories: casual dating sites and relationship communities. With more than 212 million U.S. residents having access to the Internet at home, a recent Jupiter Research study estimates the casual dating and relationship categories will grow to $1 billion by 2008.

From their inception, casual dating sites have skewed heavily male, often upwards of 80% of total membership. Today, casual dating sites number in the thousands. Leading the casual dating pack are Match.com and Yahoo! Personals, both of whom have created positive environments for those seeking an introduction to online dating, and those who are looking to date, hook-up or just meet friends in a large community environment. Casual dating sites generally appeal to "frequent daters" 18 years of age to their early 30's, and have a 65-75% male membership.

As the casual space flourished, dating online has grown up and a new "relationships" category has emerged. Experienced online daters have grown weary of the frenetic pace and difficulty in finding love on casual dating sites. These people have demanded communities focus on quality, rather than quantity, where one can meet a like-minded adult looking for a relationship or even marriage. Leading the emergence of relationship communities are PerfectMatch.com(TM) and Christian oriented eHarmony.com(R). Unlike casual dating sites, PerfectMatch.com(TM) and eHarmony.com(R) have a more mature audience, between the ages of 30 and 59, skew up to 60% female, and focus on the adult seeking a long-term, committed relationship and/or marriage.

"The online dating marketplace has cemented into very different kinds of destinations. It's important singles educate themselves about finding the site that provides them with what they are seeking. It's critical singles learn the difference between casual dating, or hook up sites, and relationship communities," said Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D., a leading relationship authority and tenured professor at the University of Washington.

"Singles who are seeking long-term, committed relationships will be disappointed if they search for love on a casual dating site simply because it's like fishing in an empty pond," continued Dr. Schwartz, recipient of the 2005 national award for the Public Understanding of Sociology by the American Sociological Association.

Founded by evangelical Christian Neil Clark Warren, eHarmony.com(R), raised $100 million through venture capital funding this past December with a valuation in excess of $300M. With their success, eHarmony.com(R) has now begun positioning itself as more mainstream, though they continue to not let members search on their own for other members and they continue to reject one out of five members who have taken their quiz, including divorcees.

PerfectMatch.com(TM) featured this past February in a one hour Dr. Phil special, "Finding your Perfect Match" and featured in this month's theatrical release "Must Love Dogs," was founded by the team that pioneered online dating at Kiss.com and are the foremost authorities in relationships on the Internet. PerfectMatch.com(TM) features Duet(TM), a total compatibility system, based on over 30 years of scientific research that allows members to search for their perfect match by personality types.

"Today there is literally a dating site to meet the individual needs of everybody. Members demand more than a 'SWF, 18-30 looking for same' approach," said Duane Dahl, CEO and founder of PerfectMatch.com(TM). "We now must take a more targeted intelligent approach, focusing our efforts on bettering the odds for individuals serious about finding their soul mate."

PerfectMatch.com(TM) is the online relationship backdrop in the upcoming Warner Bros. movie "Must Love Dogs". This romantic comedy stars DIANE LANE and JOHN CUSACK, and opens in theatres on July 29th.

ABOUT PERFECTMATCH.COM(TM)

Leading the online relationship destination industry with 2 million members, PerfectMatch.com(TM) (www.PerfectMatch.com) was founded by the team that pioneered online dating. The foremost authorities in relationships on the Internet, the PerfectMatch.com(TM) team previously built and managed Kiss.com/uDate.com to over seven million members leading up to the sale to InterActiveCorp (Match.com) in 2002 for $150 million.

PerfectMatch.com(TM) is for adults looking for lasting, meaningful relationships. It is the only site to offer the DUET(TM) Total Compatibility System, co-developed by internationally renowned relationship authority, Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D. Based on over 30 years of research, DUET(TM) provides members with a leading-edge assessment and scientifically-based approach designed to assist adults in finding others looking for real love and commitment. PerfectMatch competes with Christian-oriented eHarmony.com(R) in the online relationship arena.

PerfectMatch.com(TM) has forged partnerships with world-class brands including Dr. Phil, MSNBC, Lifetime Television, iVillage, Warner Bros. Studios, Sony Pictures and NBC Universal and is the online relationship backdrop of the Warner Bros. movie "Must Love Dogs" featuring Diane Lane, John Cusack and Dermot Mulroney. "Must Love Dogs" arrives in movie theatres on July 29th. To view the "Must Love Dogs" movie trailer, please visit our website at www.perfectmatch.com/pmtv/index.asp. SOURCE MarketRange

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