PlentyOfFish (POF) has been picked up for a cool $575 million in cash by Match Group, the company behind Match.com, Tinder, Meetic and OKCupid.

 

PlentyOfFish started in 2003 by Canadian entrepreneur Markus Frind, and has grown into a site with over 90 million registered users, and 3.6 million daily users. And unlike some of the other sites that Match Group now owns, POF has a healthy selection of gay and bisexual users.

 

"For over a decade I have followed the consistent growth of PlentyOfFish, first within North America, then globally, and most recently across platforms, as one of the most popular mobile dating products in the world," said Sam Yagan, CEO of The Match Group in a statement. "As more people than ever use more dating apps than ever with more frequency than ever, PlentyOfFish’s addition both brings new members into our family of products and deepens the lifetime relationship we have with our users across our portfolio."

 

The deal will be finalized if and when it receives approval from the Canadian government. 

 

"We are thrilled to be joining forces with Match," said Frind. "I am confident that Match will help accelerate our growth even further."

 

How this will affect the free dating site is anyone's guess. More ads? Costly premium accounts? Time will tell.

 

PlentyOfFish sold to U.S. firm in $575-million deal []