It's said that true love is priceless but sometimes making that initial connection can come at a cost. Online dating has taken off in recent years, and according to research firm Marketdata Enterprises, the total dating services industry is worth 2.5 billion dollars in the U.S. alone. CGTN's William Denselow reports from New York. 

 

In a city of over eight million people like New York - finding the right person for you can be a challenge. Dating apps may be a useful tool but some choose to find a little extra, personalized help. 

 

MEREDITH GOLDEN, MATCHMAKER AND DATING COACH SPOON MEET SPOON "I see a lot of my singles making mistakes that are not yielding dates and when I go in, I figure out, I diagnose what the mistake that they're making and then I don't let them make that mistake because I takeover for them."

 

That help doesn't come cheap. Meredith Golden charges $2,000 a month to guide her clients through the world of internet dating. Over the past two years she says around 40 percent of them have ended up in relationships. Some matchmakers will take a swipe at their online competition -saying it's harder to find a match in the digital world. 

 

LORI SALKIN, SENIOR MATCHMAKER SAW YOU AT SINAI "Social media is hurting dating. Everyone is getting judged before they even meet. I say to everybody, 'just go have a coffee, just spend 10 minutes, see if you click in person.'" In just a few years, online dating has turned into a multi-billion dollar industry. And with some users spending several hours a day on these sites- analysts believe the industry could become even more lucrative.

 

JON BIRGER AUTHOR OF "DATE-ONOMICS" "This is prime real estate for media, so if I were running these companies I would think of my business as less of a dating business and more as a place where you can capture eyeballs and sell advertising." With smartphones becoming increasingly ingrained in today's society- those in the industry believe the public's relationship with online dating won't fizzle out anytime soon. 

 

WILLIAM DENSELOW NEW YORK Matchmakers here in the city are confident this trend will be good for business. They say online dating can be competitive and time consuming and warn that without assistance, many are unlikely to find love at first swipe. William Denselow, CGTN, New York