Spark Networks, owner of the niche online dating site JDate, is looking for a mate of its own among a crop of online media companies including Yahoo, IAC/InterActive and News Corp’s MySpace, the New York Times reported on Friday.
The highly targeted audiences from sites like JDate, BlackSingles and CatholicMingle could be a boon for media companies looking to charge a premium for advertising. The Times said the price could reach as high as $185 million — above the market value of $131.4 million based on Thursday’s closing price — although it only cited unnamed “analysts” so that number should perhaps be taken with a pinch of kosher salt.
The company’s stock ticker is, appropriately, LOV.
Spark is home to more than two dozen dating and personal sites, ranging from AdventistSinglesConnection to IndianMatrimonialNetwork. AmericanSingles and BlackSingles receive the most traffic.
But it is the JDate — the self-professed “leading Jewish singles network” — that has made the biggest cultural impact, including a mention on The Daily Show. One well-received JDate billboard in Times Square, referencing the Four Questions of Passover, asked: “Why is this site different than all other sites?”
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