MSN Looks at Ashley Madison

TORONTO — In a piece entitled "When cheating on your spouse is big business," MSN Money has taken a look at adult dating service AshleyMadison.com and its head man, Noel Biderman.

According to its website, MSN.ca Money's editorial goal is to provide a forum for personal finance and investment ideas.

The article describes Ashley Madison as earning "tens of millions" in annual revenue and cites Biderman's appearance on television shows such as CNN, The View, Dr. Phil and The Tyra Banks Show, along with its "extensive media coverage in various large circulation newspapers."

"Why the fuss?" Author Kerry Gold asks, concluding that "Ashley Madison is aimed squarely at helping married people have affairs, complete with an 'affair guarantee' that will refund you your money if you don't find someone in the first three months."

Gold examined the company's balancing act of striving for profitability from its more than 4.5 million users in the face of declining advertising revenues due to arbitrary moral concerns, which are reportedly hampering the company's growth.

One surprise revelation is that Biderman is a happily married family man who would be "devastated" if his wife was unfaithful — a seemingly contradictory attitude for a marketer that proclaims "Life is short. Have an affair."

"I am not someone who comes in with a big open T-shirt and chains and plays the pimp type personality," Biderman said. "I myself am a happily married man who chose to pursue this because I came across great data. I thought, 'Wouldn't a service for people who are attached work?'"

Instead, Biderman found a female-friendly website name and focused on attracting women, who make up around 30 percent of the overall audience.

Despite the promise of a "guaranteed affair," however, it seems that not everyone is in love with Ashley Madison; as its ad revenues are showing.

"It's one or two individuals at the policy or executive level saying, 'I don't like that business.' I have never had anyone say, 'Great, we would like your ads,'" Biderman said. "It's to the point where I've had newspapers on the verge of bankruptcy [refuse] to take my dollars."

"If I could trade the ability to market freely — the way eharmony or match.com does — we would have $100 million [in annual revenues] with 20 million members," Biderman added. "I'd rather have that than the publicity."

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Pineapple Support, Streamate to Host 'Navigating Grief and Loss' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Streamate are hosting a free online support group to help performers cope with grief and loss.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

New AV Rules Take Effect for Ireland-Based Sites

Ireland’s Online Safety Code came into force Monday, including a provision requiring adult sites headquartered in Ireland to implement age assurance measures beyond self-declaration.

XBIZ Amsterdam Calls on New Startups for 'Spotlight' Program

XBIZ is pleased to announce that its new “Startup Spotlight” programming will make its European premiere at XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, set to take place Sept. 2-5 at the Jakarta Hotel Amsterdam.

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

Show More