Match Group (MTCH) TD Cowen's 54th Annual Technology, Media & Telecom Conference summary

Key business trends and user engagement

• Leading indicators like Sparks and Sparks Coverage are improving, translating into better core user metrics such as MAUs and retention, with MAUs improving from -10% to -7% and Pairs from -8% to -5% in Q1.

• New user registrations grew 1% year-over-year, the first increase in years, driven by broad-based demographic gains and a shift to lower-funnel marketing, increased spend, and features like Double Date.

• IRL (in real life) events piloted in L.A. have seen strong attendance and positive feedback, with plans to expand to more markets and a focus on shifting brand perception among Gen Z.

Product innovation and AI-driven improvements

• Recommendation algorithm changes have been the biggest win, accounting for about two-thirds of engagement improvements, with ongoing A/B testing and optimization.

• AI features are being tested to infer user preferences from minimal data, such as camera roll analysis and lightweight Q&A, enabling faster and more accurate matches.

• AI-driven improvements have reduced the time to generate quality matches from days to a single session.

Gen Z engagement and perception shift

• Gen Z users are increasingly engaged, with features like Double Date used by 25% of U.S. Gen Z women and retention up three points year-over-year.

• Brand perception is shifting away from a hookup app, with declining negative perceptions and about half of Gen Z women citing Double Date as a defining feature.