Notorious extra-marital affair site AshleyMadison has reported a double-digit surge in Australian revenue, pulling in more than US$8 million in 2012-13.
That's a 13% year-on-year increase in revenue, which comes via subscriptions and micro-transactions. Users purchase 'gifts' to interact with other members.
The site does not generate revenue from display advertising, and has struggled to market itself, being blocked by Google and turned down for an $11 million sponsorship of the Cronulla Sharks.
Nevertheless, Australia boasts the fastest-growing female subscriber base globally. The average split is 70-30 male to female, whereas locally the split is 60-40. AshleyMadison currently has 910,000 Australian members – also up 13% YOY.
It pulls in more than one million visitors a month and Australia ranks third by membership on a per capita basis. Globally it has more than 24 million members and turns over more than $120 million annually. AshleyMadison says it has no plans at this stage to monetise its data, however.
The site has just brought on board a chief science officer, Dr Eric Anderson, well known 'sexologist' and professor of masculinities and sexuality, who will work with academia to undertake research into infidelity.
Founder and chief executive Noel Biderman said: "Over the years we have had a number of researchers and leading academic institutions come to us looking to work with our membership for their research, as we are the most credible source for research on infidelity.
"With more than 24 million members worldwide, we have the big data that researchers are looking for. Schools like Duke, Columbia and University of Michigan have already come to us looking to conduct studies, and with Eric on board we know we can broaden our partnerships on a global basis."
Anderson said: "Infidelity has been notoriously hard to study because most qualified research participants are identifiable only after being caught, if at all. The general practice of using university students for research is not applicable to this topic – they are not the relevant cohorts as the marriage rate in this group is typically small.
"With the data generated on people who desire to, or are currently cheating, through AshleyMadison, I can be at the forefront of landscape altering infidelity studies. Extra-marital sex is one of society's few remaining sexual taboos and I look forward to continuing my studies, and finding new researcher partners to help investigate the nature of infidelity and consequences of monogamy."
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