Dive Brief:

• Bumble is channeling the Emmy award-winning Apple TV+ comedy “Ted Lasso” by recreating the show’s fictitious dating app, Bantr, according to a press release.
• The Bantr Live experience operates through Bumble and pairs together users for three-minute conversations in which no photos or profile details will be shared, similar to how it’s spun on the show. After three minutes, both users will be asked if they want to continue the conversation and access each others’ profiles.  
• Starting today (Oct. 13) Bumble users in several international markets will have an opportunity each week to opt in to the Bantr Live experience through Dec. 31. Bumble will also offer its members a free two-month trial to Apple TV+ if they’re not already signed up for it.

Dive Insight:

In season two of “Ted Lasso,” two main characters make an unlikely — but meaningful — connection through the Bantr app that they almost certainly would not have made if photos were involved. In pursuit of Bumble’s emphasis on authentic connections, which it seeks through it’s strategy that gives women the swiping power, recreating the fictitious app could help blossom a deeper connection with a touch of humor. 

Starting this week, the app has featured a countdown clock encouraging users to RSVP for the Bantr Live event in their area. The launch of the weekly event is Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. local time, at which point users will be automatically connected to others based on their locations, ages and gender preferences, and no photo. Bumble also stated this won’t allow for meetings between users who have already been connected or blocked. 

After the three-minute conversation, users will be asked if they want to match with the user. If both parties click “Yes,” they will be given access to each other’s profiles. After answering that question, users will be asked if they want to make another Bantr match, and they can continue to do so until the experience ends at 8 p.m. Users will not know if they’ve made a match until after the event has ended. The Bantr Live events will occur every Thursday in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia through the end of the year. 

“The premise of Bantr is a dating experience many of our members have expressed interest in over the years,” said Olivia Yu, Bumble’s global vice president of partnerships, in the release. “We look forward to people on Bumble having fun with Bantr Live and connecting and dating in a new and exciting way.”

The tie-up between AppleTV+ and Bumble is a smart move for the streamer, which now has an extra method of getting in front of the eyes of younger consumers as the connected TV marketplace continues to grow tense amid booming competition. 

Bumble has recently looked to popular culture and consumer hubs as a way to attract new users to its app.  In August, the platform launched a YouTube series, “Luv2SeeIt,” that showcased stories about the Black dating experience. The effort was based upon insights from a company survey in which nearly half of Black or African American respondents said they would be more likely to feel worthy of love if there were more representation of love in the Black community in U.S. society and media. In 2018, the company launched a promo tie-in with HBO, which took over a New York City brownstone building for a movie date-night experience in which users were encouraged to attend with someone they had met on the app.