Tinder CEO says in‑person events will boost UK user engagement

A Match Group study found 61% of UK singles want more offline interaction, prompting Tinder to roll out events in London.

By Felo News Desk · Published Tue, 20 Oct 2026 02:14:34 GMT

Tinder chief executive Spencer Rascoff said the dating app will introduce in‑person events in London as part of a strategy to revive user interest, after a Match Group study showed a strong desire for offline socialising among UK singles.

What happened

The Match Group‑commissioned survey revealed that 61% of single adults in the United Kingdom would like a larger share of their social life to occur face‑to‑face. The same study noted that 43% of respondents said most of their socialising happens through a screen, a figure that rises to 51% among Gen Z participants. Only 4% of Gen Z said they met their most recent partner in a pub, bar or club.

What the reports add

Both Independent and Standard reported the same statistics from the study and quoted Rascoff’s comments to the Press Association.
The outlets noted that Tinder has already launched in‑person events in more than 50 cities worldwide, but the feature is not yet available in the UK.
Rascoff said the events will be run with local operators that already host activities such as run clubs, karaoke nights, matcha tastings or dog‑park meet‑ups, allowing users to connect before or after the event.
Match Group expects annual revenues of $885 million‑$895 million (£665‑£673 million) for 2026, a modest 2%‑3% decline from the prior year, while rival app Hinge is seeing revenue growth of more than 20% in the second quarter.

What was said

“We have so much research that shows that people want to meet in person, at events, including from this new study. So rather than running away from that observation, we decided to run towards it, and embrace events by integrating them into the core Tinder experience.”

— Spencer Rascoff, to the Press Association, as reported by Independent and Standard.

“When I joined about two years ago, Tinder had seen almost around four years of declining usage year‑on‑year. Through the social road‑map and a lot of hard work and improved marketing, we have almost entirely turned Tinder’s usage trends around.”

— Rascoff, speaking to the Press Association about the turnaround, cited in both outlets.

How it came about

The rollout follows a period of declining Tinder usage, which Rascoff said the company has turned around. Earlier this year, Match Group highlighted the importance of hybrid social experiences in its investor updates, and Tinder’s previous event pilots in cities such as New York and Berlin were cited as successful. The company’s revenue outlook and Hinge’s growth were also referenced in the same reports.

Key facts

61% of UK single adults want more face‑to‑face socialising, according to a Match Group study. (independent.co.uk)
43% of UK singles say most of their socialising occurs through a screen; the figure is 51% for Gen Z. (independent.co.uk)
Only 4% of Gen Z met their most recent partner in a pub, bar or club. (independent.co.uk)
Tinder has run in‑person events in over 50 cities worldwide but not yet in the UK. (standard.co.uk)
Spencer Rascoff said Tinder will launch events in London to integrate offline meet‑ups into the app. (independent.co.uk)