Ticketmaster buys Match.com, splits into 2 units

Ticketmaster-CitySearch Inc. (Nasdaq: TMCS) on Monday agreed to buy online dating service Match.com from Cendant Corp. (NYSE: CD). Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Match.Com has registered more than 1.8 million members to date and has about 120,000 active members that result in more than 20 million page views a month. Match.Com derives its revenues from subscriptions, advertising and commerce.

The acquisition of the dating service could be a good fit, since people that date tend to need events to attend, such as concerts. Also, it expands the number of potential customers that the online ticket seller and city guide can pitch its other services.

In other news, Ticketmaster-CitySearch said it was splitting into two groups: guides and transactions. The guide business will be made up of City Guides and its customer support as well as CityAuctions, a person-to-person service. The transaction unit will handle ticket sales, reservations and other e-commerce.

Shares of Ticketmaster-CitySearch dipped 3/4 to 31 13/16 in early trading.