Jim Lanzone will join Tinder next month and report to Match Group CEO Shar Dubey.
Photo: jose sena goulao/epa-efe/rex/ShutterstockMatch Group Inc. MTCH 1.56% is naming a new chief executive for the company’s flagship dating app Tinder at a time when the coronavirus pandemic is redefining the online dating industry.
The new CEO, Jim Lanzone, previously served as president and chief executive of CBS Interactive, as well as executive in residence at venture capital firm Benchmark Capital. Mr. Lanzone, who will join the company Aug. 3, is succeeding current Tinder CEO Elie Seidman and will report to Match Group CEO Shar Dubey.
Mr. Seidman is stepping down and returning to work with early-stage, venture-backed companies, according to a person familiar with the matter. He joined Tinder as CEO in late 2017, and led the company as it focused on expanding into new countries.
Guiding Tinder through the pandemic is crucial for Match Group, which operates several dating apps including Match, Plenty of Fish and Hinge. Tinder is Match Group’s most prominent brand and has tens of millions of users.
“We have an enormous opportunity to deliver on our mission, bring more people to the product and reimagine the user experience across different markets,” Mr. Lanzone said.
When Match Group issued its first-quarter financial report in May, the company said that fewer subscribers signed up for Tinder after coronavirus case counts started to rise earlier this year.
But it appears that when people realized the pandemic was going to last for several months, they started trying to find new ways to use dating apps. A spokeswoman for Match Group said engagement on Tinder has increased, and that women under the age of 30 are now signing up for Tinder more frequently. (On heterosexual dating apps, men tend to outnumber women.)
Match Group said Tinder experienced double-digit revenue growth in the second quarter from a year ago, and is expected to provide a fuller picture of how the pandemic has affected usage of its dating apps when the company reports its second-quarter earnings Aug. 4.
Many people who are concerned about health risks and the virus’ spread are reluctant to meet up with strangers in person, even as shelter-in-place and social-distancing orders contribute to loneliness. This puts a greater emphasis in online interactions.
Tinder is increasing its investment in tools that allow people to socialize more online. In the past few weeks, Tinder rolled out the first version of the company’s new video-chat feature.
Ms. Dubey said Mr. Lanzone has experience running complex tech organizations and integrating emerging media into bellwether brands, along with a track record of building subscription offerings. At CBS Corp.’s Interactive unit, Mr. Lanzone helped develop the broadcaster’s video-streaming strategy, and left last year as the company prepared to merge with Viacom Inc.
Tinder also is naming gaming executive Joshua Sell as product chief. Mr. Sell worked on and launched franchises at King, Glu Mobile Inc. and Korean gaming company NCSoft. Mr. Sell will report to Mr. Lanzone.
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Write to Georgia Wells at Georgia.Wells@wsj.com
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