People Media
People Media is a targeted online dating service focusing on specific demographic groups. A niche or targeted online dating site differs from broad dating sites like Match.com by recognizing commonalities important to customers such as ethnicity, religion and lifestyle. As ranked by comScore Media Metrix People Media operates 6 of the top 50 ranked personals websites including BlackPeopleMeet.com, SeniorPeopleMeet.com, SingleParentMeet.com, and BBPeopleMeet.com. With $11.6 million of EBITDA in 2008 and 255,000 paying members, People Media is atop the niche or targeted segment of the online dating industry.
History
People Media is owned by Match.com, an operating company of IAC. Match.com announced on July 7, 2009, the acquisition of People Media from American Capital Ltd for $80 million in cash. This coupled the leading company in the targeted dating space, People Media, with the leading company in the general dating space, Match.com.
Prior to Match.com's acquisition, PeopleMedia was the top performing company in American Capital's portfolio. The investment firm purchased People Media from the company's entrepreneurial founders in May 2007. Attracted by a highly scalable business model, a diversified group of targeted dating sites and strong performance relative to its peers, American Capital invested $56 million in People Media during May 2007. Concurrently, the American Capital Technology Group worked closely with People Media, improving infrastructure and controls, building a senior management team, including former Yahoo executive Joshua Meyers as CEO, and launching strong partnerships such as the one with AOL Personals and Radio Date with the Steve Harvey Morning Show.
Doll Hammer
Family favorite, eight years old
"Girl, do what you're told!"
Sara sadly repeats her dreams
Dad wants company, it seems
Once more, his whispered warning
"You'll not tell a soul come morning!"
She reaches, deeply, a strange night's sleep
Swirling spirits creep
Their dance surrounds her with frenzied cries
"Girl, come forward and claim your prize!"
Smeared with the strangest feeling
And a vengeful passion congealing
She awakens, charged with their song
"Dad! I need you! Come here, please! I swear it won't take long!"
As Dad comes in, Sara smiles and bites clean through his skin
Now he screams, his booming voice is rising in his fall
By the time he hits the floor, he's just another doll
Cluttering the rug
"Hey, Dad! Come on over here now, and give your girl a hug!"
As Dad runs, frantically, towards the door
Clutching, blindly, his curious sore
Sara snatches him by the thigh
And holds him up to her judging eye
Casting a final ballot
Now she grabs an iron mallet
And holds it over his tiny legs
Dad stares, horrified, as he begs
But Sara smugly ignores his pleas
And smashes down with a violent breeze
With every bit that she hits she's willed