Prosieben buys online dating site Eharmony
German broadcaster Prosieben has acquired US online dating website Eharmony in the first major deal since it launched an e-commerce partnership with investment firm General Atlantic.
The deal will complement Prosieben’s own dating site Parship Elite, which is the leading online matchmaking platform in Germany.
Prosieben bought Eharmony through its Nucom division, which is 24.9 per cent owned by General Atlantic.
Eharmony had an average annual growth of 11.9 per cent between 2013 and 2018 and 2.8m people are expected to sign up on the platform this year.
Prosieben chief executive Max Conze said: “Creating growth and leveraging synergies are key elements of our strategy.
“This acquisition is an excellent fit. Bringing these two strong brands together will immediately create a world leading online matchmaking company.”
Eharmony chief executive Grant Langston added: "Eharmony is thrilled to be partnering with Nucom and the Parship Elite Group.
"By bringing together our well-known, like-minded companies, we have the resources and shared knowledge to compete and achieve growth together in the online matchmaking market with a laser focus on creating long-lasting, meaningful relationships.”