MAM
Tinder’s dating trends of 2024 and what’s ahead for 2025
Mumbai: The year may be ending, but dating is here to stay! Tinder’s Year in Swipe is back, unpacking all the standout trends from 2024 and offering a glimpse into the future of dating in 2025. This year, daters got clear on what they want and are heading into 2025 with unapologetic intentions. And here is the list of the top dating trends:
Loud Looking: Whether it’s a “Man in Finance” or “Gamer Girlfriend,” singles are ditching the vague and getting vocal and specific about their needs and desires, confidently and unapologetically. “Looking for…” was Tinder’s top bio mention in 20241, showing that people were being upfront from the start.
Kiss-met: is a playful twist on “kismet,” meaning destiny or fate. A Kiss-met embodies the idea of seeking out spontaneity and stumbling upon joy. It’s essentially a modern rebrand of the classic “meet cute.” In 2025, singles will move away from strict dating “rules” and dive into authentic, spontaneous connections. Think sweaty hike dates–which nearly 40 per cent of surveyed singles are planning to prioritise in 2025.
Nano-ships: In 2024, no romantic connection was too small to define. From “eyecontactships” to “textuationships,” singles are embracing even the tiniest interactions as meaningful. It’s about reclaiming romance, whether serious or not, and recognizing that even micro-moments can count as a “thing.”
Cherry Bombing: Dropping small, playful flirtations instead of going all out with grand romantic gestures. It’s all about those subtle sparks that keep things light and fun. Cherry on top: “Thoughtful Gestures” ranks as the second most attractive “love style” in Tinder bios, according to users.
Cinnamon Roll: A genuinely sweet, kind, and supportive person who’s too pure for this world. They leave their ego behind and bring nothing but warmth and ooey-gooey-goodness. Keep it sweet: 35 per cent of surveyed Tinder singles say they are looking for a “cinnamon roll” in 2025.
D-AI-Dating: Using AI as your dating wingman to craft the perfect text, build out your bio, or practice online conversations to boost your confidence. Love at first byte: 68 per cent of surveyed singles say an AI feature for photo selection assistance would be a game-changer in 2024.
Hopecore: A trend all about embracing positivity and joy in dating and life. Surveyed singles say that to stay energized and excited about dating, they try to stay positive (41 per cent), have an open mind (39 per cent), and remember to have fun (33 per cent).
Investi-dating: When you and your friends go full detective mode, digging up your crush’s entire online footprint (or their aunt’s 2015 trip to Iceland). 63 per cent of Tinder’s surveyed singles pre-screened their dates!
Passport Passion: When you get swept up in a romantic fling in a new city, and it feels straight out of a TV rom-com. Pack your bags: Tinder users passport to an average of 4 cities, chasing love and adventure!
Black Cat Girlfriend: Mysterious, reserved, and a little anti-social, but fiercely loyal to those she loves. She’s got that unbothered, almost selfish black-cat energy — definitely not one to chase after anyone. Claws out: 23 per cent of our surveyed singles are on the lookout for a “black cat” in 2025.
Slow A-Peel: Dating with a mindful approach, like peeling back the layers of an onion. It’s all about embracing the mystery, revealing each part of yourself gradually. When asked what best describes their dating life, 27 per cent of surveyed Tinder singles said slow dating.
Limerence: That all-consuming crush where you’re completely obsessed, longing for them to feel the same — often fueled by Tarot readings and daydreams, even if the fantasy differs from the reality. Manifesting magic: 16 per cent of surveyed singles say that to help their dating life, they plan to get a Tarot card reading.
Remix Relationships: In today’s polarized world, differences like age, work ethic, or critical thinking don’t have to be dealbreakers but strengths. These mixed partnerships are all about reclaiming the divides and finding compatibility beyond perfect symmetry.
Three-month Rule: Three months deep with no DTR? According to the rule, if a relationship is not exclusive within three months of dating, it will likely stay casual.
Alpha Femme: This single isn’t waiting around for a knight in shining armour to make the first move; she’s confidently taking the lead.
Contra Dating: Ditching your usual “type” and stepping outside the box to explore new dating possibilities. This pushes daters to give someone they wouldn’t normally go for a chance.
AD Agencies
Abhay Duggal joins JioStar as director of Hindi GEC ad sales
The streaming giant brings in a seasoned revenue hand as the battle for Hindi television advertising heats up
MUMBAI: Abhay Duggal has a new desk, and JioStar has a new weapon. The media and entertainment veteran has joined JioStar as director of entertainment ad sales for Hindi general entertainment channels, adding 17 years of hard-won revenue experience to one of India’s most powerful broadcasting operations.
Duggal is no stranger to big portfolios or bruising markets. Before joining JioStar, he spent a brief stint at Republic World as deputy general manager and north regional head for ad sales. Before that, he put in three years at Enterr10 Television, where he ran the north region for Dangal TV and Dangal 2, two of India’s leading free-to-air Hindi channels. The north alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of total channel revenue on his watch, a number that tends to get attention in any sales meeting.
His longest stint was at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he spent over six years rising to associate director of sales. There he commanded the Hindi movies cluster across seven channels, owned more than half of north India’s revenue across flagship properties including Zee TV and &TV, and closed marquee sponsorships across the Indian Premier League, Zee Rishtey Awards and Dance India Dance. He also handled monetisation for the English movies and entertainment cluster and the global news channel WION, a portfolio that would stretch most sales teams twice his size.
Earlier in his career Duggal closed what was then a Rs 3 crore single deal at Reliance Broadcast Network, one of the largest in Indian radio at the time, before that he helped launch and monetise JAINHITS, India’s first HITS-based cable and satellite platform.
His edge, by his own account, lies in marrying data and instinct: translating audience trends, inventory signals and client demands into long-term partnerships built on cost-per-rating-point discipline rather than short-term deal chasing. In a media landscape being reshaped by streaming, fragmented attention and AI-driven advertising, that kind of rigour is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
JioStar, which blends the scale of Reliance’s Jio platform with the content firepower of Star, is doubling down on its advertising business at precisely the moment the Hindi GEC market is getting more competitive. Bringing in someone who has spent nearly two decades doing exactly this, across some of India’s most watched channels, is a pointed statement of intent. Duggal has spent his career turning audiences into revenue. JioStar is clearly betting he can do it again, and bigger.
