Spark Networks and Affinitas GmbH have entered into a definitive agreement to combine in a stock-for-stock merger. The merger will bring together leading global brands like JDate, ChristianMingle, EliteSingles, and eDarling to cater to a broad spectrum of users with a presence in 26 countries, creating a more diverse and balanced footprint.

With nearly 500,000 period-ending subscribers and over $115 million in revenue for the twelve months ended March 31, 2017, the combined company would be one of the world's largest online dating providers on a pro forma basis.

The transaction has been approved by Spark's Board of Directors and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2017. The combined company will be named Spark Networks SE and will be headquartered in Berlin, Germany, while maintaining a significant U.S. presence with offices in New York City and Lehi, Utah.

Sudan's Tinder Profile

When you picture your perfect date, they probably don’t have a horn and leathery skin - yet the most eligible bachelor on Tinder currently fits that description. Meet Sudan, the last known male northern white rhino in existence.

In early April, Tinder launched a campaign in partnership with the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in central Kenya to help save Sudan’s species from extinction. His profile on the app features an image of him tucking into a grassy meal, along with a call to action: “This is the last living male northern white rhino. Swipe right to help him find a match.”

His bio is both humble and humorous (a winning combination on any dating service). “I’m one of a kind,” it reads. “No seriously, I’m the last male white rhino on planet earth. I don’t mean to be too forward, but the fate of my species literally depends on me. I perform well under pressure. I like to eat grass and chill in the mud. No problems. 6ft tall and 5,000lbs if it matters.”

Slack, a popular messaging app used in workplaces to schedule meetings and chat with your co-workers, has entered into new territory. Now, you can date your co-workers over Slack, too.

Dating app Feeld announced its integration onto the Slack platform late April. It works like this: when you download the Feeld app in Slack, you can let the app know who of your colleagues you’re interested in. If Feeld notices your co-worker has admitted to being attracted to you, too, it will let both of you know and you can take it from there (and start your flirtatious messaging over Slack). If your co-worker doesn’t return the affection, he’s never alerted to your interest.

So essentially, you can get confirmation of your crush without him or her knowing.

Early last year Beijing Kunlun purchased a large stake (61% for $93 million) in Grindr. Well they must have liked the results of the purchase as it has been announced that they plan to purchase the rest of the shares (31.47%) for $152 million USD. This means they will become the sole owner of Grindr.

Grindr currently is based in Los Angeles, California. The dating app matches gay men based mainly on photos and location. The app currently has 27 million registered users from almost 200 countries with 30% of them from the United States. For more on this dating app you can read our Grindr review.

For a limited time eHarmony in the United Kingdom is offering new members a free trial membership. These trial memberships will be available this Bank holiday weekend from 25th - 30th May, 2017.

For 6 days you can enjoy this free trial (if you sign up on May 25th) where no credit card is required. With over 3.5 million singles registered with eHarmony UK this online dating service is one of the largest in the United Kingdom and is ideal for finding your partner. With the detailed relationship questionnaire eHarmony takes matchmaking seriously and their matching algorithm is designed to display matches to you that have the greatest chance of creating a long-term and happy relationship. Please note, during the free trial period photos are not displayed with the profiles.

For more information about this United Kingdom dating service, please read our review of eHarmony UK.

To celebrate Memorial Day in the United States, eHarmony is allowing new and existing users to communicate with their matches for free from May 25^th to May 29^th.

No credit card or coupon code is required to enjoy this promotion. The sooner you act, the longer you can take advantage and communicate with more matches at eHarmony. If you create a new membership and fill in your profile questionnaire on May 25, you will have 5 days to review your matches and communicate with them with no cost to you. One thing to note is free communicate weekends does not include profile photos.

Earlier this year eHarmony launch a bunch of new features which has been a big hit with members. These features affect both the website and dating apps and offer a stream lined communication interface and real-time texting. The sign-up process is also faster with fewer questions. You can start receiving matches in as little as 10 minutes once the basic profile is filled out. The in-depth personality profile takes an additional 30 minutes or so to complete. It now is not required anymore, but it does offer better matching.

For more details about this online dating service, please read our eHarmony review.