Allegro Non Troppo

22 Feb 2010

The Way Gays Play Todayâ€¦. How on-line dating has changed Gay Culture forever!

LISTEN TO PODCAST NOW

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:24 — 36.1MB)

The way we interact in todayâ€™s world is very different than ten or fifteen years ago. In 1993 a UK study revealed, 2.3% of gay men found their first male sexual partner on line. Ten years later in 2003, that figure was 61.2%.
These days the average adult spends 13 hours a week of their own time on the internet â€“ thatâ€™s time not spend in a bar. Subsequently, gay culture has been altered dramatically by the influence of on-line internet dating services that reveal, expose, titillate and fulfill; all at the click of a mouse.
Bricks and mortar Gay venues have become places to go with friends for a drink and are no longer places to meet to find date; thatâ€™s all done on-line.
Saunas and other sex on premises venues are no longer patronized like they used to be and beats are, well, almost a thing of the past.
And if you think it isnâ€™t big business, think again. Now in over 100 countries around the World, Manhunt is the largest male-to-male gay dating service on the planet and each week 30,000 new members sign-up.
Manhunt reportedly brings in US$2.4M per month in revenue â€“ thatâ€™s US$30M per annum, and thatâ€™s before a cent of advertising revenue is added into the bottom line.
Today we are joined by the CEO of Online Buddies (Manhuntâ€™s parent Company) Mr. Adam Segel, their Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Todd Sowers and their Senior Marketing Manager for the Asia/Pacific region, Mr. Michael MacDonald. And for a Gen Y perspective, James Findlay joins our discussion.