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comScore Media Metrix Ranks Top 50 US Web Properties for August 2010

Otilia Otlacan — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 07:00:04 +0000

Back-to-School Frenzy Impacts Web Activity as Americans Prepare for New School Year; Traffic Driven to Sports Sites for NFL Coverage and Fantasy Football Drafts

RESTON, VA – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, released its monthly analysis of U.S. web activity at the top online properties for August 2010 based on data from the comScore Media Metrix service. Back-to-school season accelerated the growth of several online categories during the month, from Books and Apparel to Educational Resources and Consumer Goods. Sports sites were also popular in August as Americans geared up for the NFL season and Fantasy Football drafts.

“Summer vacation came to a close in August, and millions of Americans turned to the Internet to prepare for the new school year,” said Jeff Hackett, senior vice president of comScore Media Metrix. “The convenience of back-to-school shopping online appeals to more Americans every year, as incentives such as free shipping for clothing and school supplies become more prevalent.”

Americans Read Up on Book Sites
Retail Book sites allowed parents and students to conveniently browse and order books for the new school year. More than 27.5 million people visited a Book site in August, an 11-percent increase versus July, making it the highest growing site category for the month. Barnes & Noble captured the top spot with 8.3 million visitors (up 13 percent), followed by Borders Group, Inc. with 3.0 million visitors, BookSpan Property with 2.3 million visitors and AbeBooks with 1.6 million visitors (up 45 percent). Textbook rental site Chegg.com experienced significant growth during the month, surging 290 percent to 1.4 million visitors.

School Supply Shopping Not Just For Bricks and Mortar
Parents took school supply shopping to the web, with the Consumer Goods category growing 5 percent to 26.2 million visitors in August. Staples.com Sites ranked #1 in the category with 8.0 million visitors during the month (up 16 percent), followed by Office Depot with 5.1 million (up 20 percent), QVC Sites with 4.3 million and OfficeMax with 2.9 million (up 32 percent).

Apparel sites also ranked among the top gaining categories, growing to 65.4 million visitors during the month (up 5 percent), as Americans browsed fall clothing sales for all occasions, including back-to-school. Zappos Sites ranked #1 in the category with 6.4 million visitors, followed by Limitedbrands with 6.3 million visitors and Nike with 5.1 million (up 9 percent). OldNavy.com grew 15 percent to 4.9 million visitors, followed by Nordstrom.com with 3.7 million and Gap Online with 3.4 million (up 32 percent).

Sports Sites Hike as NFL Season Begins
With the start of the NFL season, traffic to Sports sites picked up during the month reaching 123.5 million visitors, a 5-percent gain versus July. Yahoo! Sports, known as a popular destination for fantasy football, ranked #1 in the category with 48.2 million visitors, representing a 23-percent increase from the prior month. FOXSports.com on MSN ranked second with 26.2 million visitors, followed by ESPN with 25.4 million visitors. NFL Internet Group doubled its audience versus July, grabbing the #4 spot with 19.5 million visitors, ranking as the top gaining property for the month.

Top 50 Properties
Yahoo! Sites ranked as the #1 property in August with 179.0 million visitors, followed by Google Sites with 178.8 million and Microsoft Sites with 165.3 million. Viacom Digital jumped 7 positions in the ranking with 81.5 million visitors, while iVillage.com: The Womens Network also climbed 7 spots to 35.3 million visitors.

Top 50 Ad Focus Ranking
BrightRoll Video Network led the August Ad Focus ranking with a potential reach of 99 percent of Americans online, followed by TubeMogul Video Ad Platform with a 97-percent potential reach. SpotXchange Video Ad Network ranked third capturing 97-percent reach, while Firefly Video came in fourth with a potential reach of 93 percent. Both TubeMogul and Firefly appeared on the top 50 ad focus ranking for the first time in August.

Table 1
____________________________________________________________________________________
comScore Top 10 Gaining Properties by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors* (U.S.)
August 2010 vs. July 2010
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix                                                       .
Total Unique Visitors (000)
Jul-10     Aug-10    % Change    Rank by
Unique
Visitors
Total Internet : Total Audience    213,584    212,616        0        N/A
NFL Internet Group                   9,744     19,477      100         63
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.              7,473     10,254       37        150
LIMEWIRE.COM                         7,713      9,801       27        155
GROUPON.COM                          5,302      6,508       23        219
WIZARD101.COM                        4,987      5,974       20        242
CollegeHumor Media                  10,283     12,171       18        124
Staples.com Sites                    6,874      7,986       16        195
Mattel Sites                         6,260      7,244       16        204
Gap, Inc.                            6,319      7,283       15        202
Nextag.com Sites                     7,578      8,696       15        177
____________________________________________________________________________________
*Ranking based on the top 250 properties in August 2010. Excludes entities whose growth was
primarily due to implementation of Media Metrix 360 unified digital audience measurement.

Table 2
__________________________________________________________________________________________
comScore Top 10 Gaining Site Categories by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors (U.S.)
August 2010 vs. July 2010
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix .

Total Unique Visitors (000)
Jul-10     Aug-10    % Change
Total Internet : Total Audience                             213,584    212,616        0
Retail – Books                                               24,911     27,527       11
Career Services and Development – Training and Education     11,860     12,601        6
Community – Food                                             64,165     67,889        6
Retail – Consumer Goods                                      24,926     26,193        5
Retail – Apparel                                             62,383     65,411        5
Retail – Jewelry/Luxury Goods/Accessories                    14,996     15,722        5
Sports                                                      117,936    123,510        5
Retail – Food                                                16,641     17,370        4
Community – Religion/Spirituality                            25,946     26,928        4
Entertainment – TV                                          115,470    119,619        4
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Please follow this link to view tables 3 and 4: http://comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2010/9/comScore_Media_Metrix_Ranks_Top_50_U.S._Web_Properties_for_August_2010

About comScore Media Metrix
comScore Media Metrix provides industry-leading Internet audience measurement services that report details of online media usage, visitor demographics and online buying power for the home, work and university audiences across local U.S. markets and across the globe. comScore Media Metrix reports are used by financial analysts, advertising agencies, publishers and marketers. comScore Media Metrix syndicated ratings are based on industry-sanctioned sampling methodologies.

About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.

comScore Media Metrix Ranks Top 50 US Web Properties for June 2010

Otilia Otlacan — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:30:13 +0000

Americans Head to Travel Sites for Vacation Planning; Summer Recreation Drives Millions to Gaming and Teens Sites

RESTON, VA – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, released its monthly analysis of U.S. Web activity at the top online properties for June 2010 based on data from the comScore Media Metrix service. Travel sites saw a surge in activity in June as travelers browsed hot summer deals and booked vacation getaways. Americans also turned to online gaming and teen sites to occupy themselves with online leisure pursuits as the school year ended.

“Travel and recreation were significant contributors to the prevailing online trends in June,” said Jeff Hackett, senior vice president of comScore Media Metrix. “Summer vacation typically brings an increase in online travel planning, while those who stick around home during the summer spend more of their time doing fun things online, particularly gaming.”

Americans Click It to Book It
Travel site categories experienced a gain in activity in June as Americans entered the heat of travel season. More than 100 million Americans visited the category during the month, affecting the following travel sub-categories: Transactions, Hotels/Resorts, Ground/Cruise, and Airplanes.

Travel – Transactions sites ranked as the top gaining category for the month of June, growing 32 percent to 5.2 million visitors. Viator.com ranked #1 in the category with 1.1 million visitors, followed closely by TravelPN.com with 1.1 million. OneTime.com grew to 853 million unique visitors, while WWTE.com attracted 457 million visitors.

Hotels/Resorts sites also saw strong growth during the month with 36.6 million Americans turning to these sites for lodging options. Marriott ranked as the top property, growing 16 percent to 6.5 million visitors. Hilton Hotels attracted 6.0 million visitors (up 13 percent), followed by InterContinental Hotels Group with 5.1 million (up 14 percent), Wyndham Worldwide with 4.0 million (up 9 percent), and Disney Travel with 3.6 million (up 5 percent).

Teens Sites Popular during Summer Vacation
Activity flourished at Teen sites as students on summer vacation looked for ways to spend their free time. The category attracted more than 40 million Americans in June, representing a 21-percent increase. Alloy Digital Network took the top spot with 16.9 million unique visitors, followed by IMVU with 6.0 million (up 18 percent), MyYearbook.com with 4.4 million, GN Teens (Gorilla Nation) with 4.3 million, and Zwinky with 3.7 million (up 15 percent).

Online Gaming Picks Up During Summer
Americans looked to online gaming for entertainment in June, attracting nearly 103 million visitors during the month. WildTangent Network took the top spot with 17.3 million visitors, up 6 percent versus May. GSN Games Network And CPMStar came next with 16.9 million, followed by Nickelodeon Casual games with 15.3 million (up 14 percent), EA Online with 15.1 million (up 2 percent), and Disney Games with 14.9 million (up 15 percent).

Top 50 Properties
Google Sites ranked as the #1 property in June with 179 million visitors, followed by Yahoo! Sites with 170 million visitors and Microsoft Sites with 161 million visitors. Adobe Sites jumped 10 positions in the ranking with 37.5 million visitors, while ESPN climbed 12 spots to 30.6 million visitors as the World Cup attracted heavy interest.

Top 50 Ad Focus Ranking
BrightRoll Video Network led the June Ad Focus ranking with a potential reach of 94 percent of Americans online. SpotXchange Video Ad Network ranked second (92 percent reach), followed by BBE (88 percent reach).

Table 1
_________________________________________________________________________
comScore Top 10 Gaining Properties by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors* (U.S.)
June 2010 vs. May 2010
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix                                                     .
Total Unique Visitors (000)
May-10     Jun-10    % Change    Rank by Unique
Visitors
Total Internet : Total Audience    215,691    215,061        0           N/A
FIFA.COM                             1,393      8,180      487           177
OPRAH.COM                            4,039      6,427       59           227
CSMONITOR.COM                        4,254      6,711       58           215
The Mozilla Organization            18,770     29,576       58            39
HEAVY.COM                            7,020     10,290       47           145
Wenner Media                         5,864      7,540       29           193
Univision Communications Inc         5,008      6,317       26           232
American Express                     7,177      8,934       24           166
Adidas-Salomon                       5,325      6,513       22           225
ESPN                                25,359     30,585       21            37
_________________________________________________________________________
*Ranking based on the top 250 properties in June 2010. Excludes entities whose growth was
primarily due to implementation of Media Metrix 360 unified digital audience measurement.

Table 2
_____________________________________________________________________________
comScore Top 10 Gaining Site Categories by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors (U.S.)
June 2010 vs. May 2010
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix                                                           .             .
Total Unique Visitors (000)
May-10     Jun-10    % Change
Total Internet : Total Audience    215,691    215,061        0
Travel – Transactions                3,900      5,153       32
Community – Teens                   33,602     40,579       21
Travel – Hotels/Resorts             33,613     36,575        9
Online Gaming                       95,880    102,809        7
Travel – Ground/Cruise              13,015     13,895        7
Travel – Airlines                   28,104     29,909        6
Community – Pets                    24,982     26,507        6
Travel – Car Rental                  6,571      6,937        6
Travel – Online Travel Agents       42,940     45,113        5
Technology                         141,480    148,163        5
_____________________________________________________________________________

Please follow this link to view tables 3 and 4: http://comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2010/7/comScore_Media_Metrix_Ranks_Top_50_U.S._Web_Properties_for_June_2010

comScore has resumed reporting of the Top 50 Properties and Top 50 Ad-Focus rankings due to the conclusion of the unified digital measurement transition period.

comScore Media Metrix Ranks Top-Growing Properties and Site Categories for December 2009

Otilia Otlacan — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:45:10 +0000

Holiday Festivities Drive Traffic to Retail and Greetings Sites

Shipping Sites Experience Surge in Traffic as Americans Rush to Ensure Delivery in Time for the Holidays

RESTON, VA – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, released its monthly analysis of U.S. Web activity at the top-growing properties and site categories for December 2009 based on data from the comScore Media Metrix service. Americans continued to flock to Retail sites in December as the online holiday shopping season reached a crescendo, while holiday festivities caused a surge in traffic to Flowers/Gifts/Greetings and e-Card sites. As many Americans raced to ensure delivery of their holiday gifts in time, shipping sites climbed to a 2009 high in visitation.

“December proved to be a strong month for the retail category with Tuesday, Dec. 15 ranking as the heaviest online spending day of the year – and of all time – at $913 million,” said Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix. “Holiday seasonality also fueled visitation to Shipping sites, which continually see their highest volume of traffic during the month of December.”

Holiday Shopping Continues to Spur Growth at Retail Sites
Retail sites continued to climb in December as Americans scoured the Web for deals this holiday season. Among the top-gaining Retail sub-categories were Jewelry/Luxury Goods/Accessories, Sports/Outdoor, and Flowers/Gifts/Greetings sites, each growing more than 20 percent versus November. Jewelry/Luxury Goods/Accessories sites attracted nearly 23 million visitors during the month, representing a 30-percent increase from November. eBags, Inc. led the category with 2.9 million visitors (up 28 percent), followed by Coach.com with 2.2 million visitors (up 26 percent), Zale Corporation with 2.1 million (up 48 percent) and Kay Jewelers with 1.7 million (up 69 percent).

Sports/Outdoor sites grew to nearly 39 million visitors during the month, a 25-percent increase versus November, led by eBay Sports U.S. with 5.1 million visitors (up 21 percent), which was closely followed by Cabelas, Inc. with 5.0 million visitors (up 26 percent). DicksSportingGoods.com grabbed the #3 position with 4.6 million visitors (up 39 percent), followed by SportsAuthority.com with 2.9 million visitors (up 29 percent).

Flowers/Gifts/Greetings sites saw a 23-percent gain, reaching nearly 39.8 million unique visitors in December. AmericanGreetings Property led the category with 13.6 million visitors (up 18 percent), followed by Gifts.com with 6.8 million (up 49 percent), Hallmark with 5.6 million (up 46 percent) and 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. with 2.9 million (up 48 percent).

Tax Sites Grow as Season Nears
Tax sites ranked as the top-gaining category during the month with nearly 6.4 million visitors, up 54 percent from November, as Americans began early preparation for tax season.

Americans Rely on Shipping and e-Card Sites for Holiday To-Do’s
Traffic to Shipping sites spiked in December as Americans rushed to ensure delivery of their gift purchases in time for the holidays. The category attracted 36.6 million visitors during the month, representing a 33-percent increase in traffic. UPS Sites led the category with 19.7 million visitors (up 51 percent), followed by USPS.com with 15.9 million (up 40 percent) and FedEx with 12.6 million (up 36 percent).

e-Card Sites were a popular way to send holiday cheer in December, with the category growing 29 percent to 31.7 million visitors. Among the most visited were Evite.com with nearly 8 million visitors (up 16 percent), AG interactive with 6.7 million (up 46 percent), MyFunCards.com with 5.7 million, and 123Greetings.com with 4.3 million (up 55 percent).

Table 1
____________________________________________________________________________
comScore Top 10 Gaining Properties by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors* (U.S.)
December 2009 vs. November 2009
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix

Total Unique Visitors (000)
Nov-09    Dec-09    % Change    Rank by
Unique Visitors
Total Internet: Total Audience    201,139   205,709       2         N/A
FAMILYLINK.COM                      2,590     6,273     142         222
JibJab Media                        4,686    10,892     132         129
Eastman Kodak                       5,116     9,030      77         160
UPS Sites                          13,091    19,715      51          63
GIFTS.COM                           4,557     6,797      49         211
Ganz                                4,822     7,047      46         207
Nintendo Co.                        3,935     5,750      46         241
Hallmark                            3,881     5,649      46         248
Federated Media Publishing         17,642    25,432      44          45
AccuWeather Sites                   5,190     7,344      41         196
____________________________________________________________________________
*Ranking based on the top 250 properties in December 2009. Excludes entities whose growth was primarily due to implementation of Media Metrix 360 hybrid audience measurement.

Table 2
____________________________________________________________________________
comScore Top 10 Gaining Site Categories by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors (U.S.)
December 2009 vs. November 2009
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix

Total Unique Visitors (000)
Nov-09       Dec-09     % Change
Total Internet: Total Audience       201,139       205,709        2
Business/Finance – Taxes               4,151         6,377       54
Directories/Resources – Shipping      27,451        36,622       33
Retail -
Jewelry/Luxury Goods/Accessories 17,662        22,955       30
Services – e-Cards                    24,692        31,748       29
Retail – Sports/Outdoor               31,208        38,925       25
Retail – Flowers/Gifts/Greetings      32,302        39,788       23
News/Information – Weather            68,321        81,095       19
Travel – Transactions                  2,824         3,313       17
Retail – Toys                         27,384        31,635       16
Retail – Movies                       26,586        30,554       15
____________________________________________________________________________

comScore will be excluding the Top 50 Properties and the Top 50 Ad-Focus rankings until May 2010 when the hybrid transition period concludes.

comScore Media Metrix Ranks Top 50 U.S. Web Properties for May 2009

Otilia Otlacan — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:00:38 +0000

Mother’s Day and Graduation Provide Boosts to Flowers, Gifts and Greetings Sites in May
Coupon Sites Surge as Americans Continue to Shop for Bargains Online

RESTON, VA – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, released its monthly analysis of U.S. consumer activity at the top online properties for May 2009 based on data from the comScore Media Metrix service. May saw online visitation surge at gift- related sites as Mother’s Day and other seasonal events prompted many to search for gifts online. Coupon sites also witnessed strong growth as bargain-hunting remained a top priority for many Americans.

“Mother’s Day, along with high school and university graduations and the beginning of wedding season, make May a traditionally strong time of year for flowers, gifts and greetings sites,” commented Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix. “Coinciding with gains to these sites in May we also saw a sharp increase in the number of visitors to online coupon sites this year. As rising summer gas prices put the squeeze on Americans’ overall purchasing power, online coupon sites have become an attractive resource for reducing retail costs during this gift-giving season.”

Mother’s Day Boosts Gift Sites in May

With May 10 marking Mother’s Day in 2009, the Flowers/Gifts/Greetings category climbed 16 percent to nearly 36 million visitors as Americans searched for gifts for mom. American Greetings Property led the category with 12.4 million visitors, followed by ProFlowers.com with 5.6 million visitors (up 255 percent versus the previous month) and FTD.com with 4.1 million visitors (up 123 percent).

The Jewelry/Luxury Goods/Accessories category also experienced double-digit growth, increasing 13 percent to nearly 18 million visitors during the month. Swarovski Crystal’s site, Swarovski.com, led the category with 2.4 million visitors, an increase of 125 percent versus April. Other sites in the category experiencing gains included Kay Jewelers (up 47 percent to 973,000 visitors) and Tiffany & Co. (up 15 percent to 812,000 visitors).

Coupon Category Grabs Top-Gaining Spot

With gas prices climbing and consumer discretionary income declining, millions of Americans turned to online coupon sites in May for better deals on their retail purchases. The Coupon category posted a particularly strong month, surging 19 percent to 34.7 million visitors to lead as the top-gaining category in May. Coupons Inc., which includes Coupons.com, captured the #1 position with more than 15 million visitors, a gain of 85 percent from the previous month. Eversave.com ranked second with 3.8 million visitors, followed by RetailMeNot.com with 3.5 million visitors.

Americans “Say Cheese” in May

Photo sites witnessed strong growth in May as visitors flocked to sites to post, view and order photos from such seasonal events as graduations and weddings. More than 90 million Americans, slightly less than half of the total U.S. online population, visited a photo site in May, marking a 10-percent gain versus the prior month. Facebook.com Photos led the category with 34.6 million visitors (up 5 percent), followed by Photobucket.com LLC with 28.1 million visitors (up 13 percent) and Flickr.com with 24.4 million visitors (up 11 percent).

Top 50 Properties

Google Sites continued to lead as the most visited property in May with 157 million visitors, followed by Yahoo! Sites with 151.3 million visitors and Microsoft Sites with 125.9 million visitors. Wal-Mart moved up 3 spots to #20 with 33.7 million visitors, while JPMorgan Chase Property jumped 7 spots to #38 with 21.4 million visitors.

Top 50 Ad Focus Ranking

Platform-A led the May Ad Focus ranking, reaching 91 percent of the 193.8 million Americans online. Yahoo! Network ranked second, reaching 87 percent, while Google Ad Network ranked third with an 85 percent reach. Yahoo! Sites and Google both climbed one spot grabbing the #6 and #7 positions, respectively.

______________________________________________________________________________

comScore Top 10 Gaining Properties by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors* (U.S.)
May 2009 vs. April 2009
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix

Total Unique Visitors (000)
Apr-09 May-09 % Change Rank
by Unique
Visitors
Total Internet: Total Audience 192,875 193,825 0 N/A

PROFLOWERS.COM                       1,575         5,590      255       221
OPRAH.COM                            4,420        12,118      174        88
Yum! Brands Inc.                     5,458        14,741      170        68
BuddyTV                              3,108         6,539      110       183
Coupons, Inc.                        8,167        15,084       85        64
Jango Music Network                  6,922        11,359       64        96
Sony Online                         12,998        19,121       47        50
GiantRealm                           3,916         5,618       43       219
Kraft Foods                          5,441         6,959       28       165
Meredith Women’s Network             8,438        10,698       27       101
______________________________________________________________________________

*Ranking based on the top 250 properties in May 2009.

Table 2
______________________________________________________________________________

comScore Top 10 Gaining Site Categories* by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors (U.S.)
May 2009 vs. April 2009
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix

Total Unique Visitors (000)
Apr-09 May-09 % Change
Total Internet: Total Audience 192,875 193,825 0

Services – Coupons                            29,179       34,723      19
Community – Gay/Lesbian                        2,902        3,427      18
Retail – Flowers/Gifts/Greetings              31,019       35,903      16
Retail – Jewelry/Luxury Goods/Accessories     15,766       17,858      13
Services – Photos                             83,041       90,972      10
News/Information – Politics                   10,630       11,642      10
Retail – Food                                 16,568       18,046       9
Community – Teens                             24,142       26,236       9
Entertainment – Humor                         24,115       26,000       8
Community – Home                              29,857       31,893       7

______________________________________________________________________________

Please refer to the following link for tables 3 & 4: http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/6/comScore_Media_Metrix_Ranks_Top_50_U.S._Web_Properties_for_May_2009

comScore Media Metrix Ranks Top 50 U.S. Web Properties for April 2009

Otilia Otlacan — Mon, 18 May 2009 09:30:01 +0000

Swine Flu Concerns Cause Surge in Visitation to CDC.gov

Social Networking Category Has Record Month Led by Gains at Twitter and Facebook

RESTON, VA – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, released its monthly analysis of U.S. consumer activity at the top online properties for April 2009 based on data from the comScore Media Metrix service. April saw Americans turn to the Web for the latest information related to the swine flu, causing traffic to soar at CDC.gov. The month also saw visitation to social networking sites reach record numbers, driven by growth at Twitter.com and Facebook.com, as well as an increase in visitation to real estate and home-related sites as the spring season prompted many Americans to consider home improvements. The tax category also experienced strong growth as procrastinating Americans tried to beat the April 15 deadline.

“When news of the swine flu pandemic erupted, many Americans turned to the Internet as their primary source of information for how to keep themselves and their families safe,” commented Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix. “April also saw a record number of visitors at social networking sites with Facebook and Twitter each adding millions of new users as a result of continued media attention and overall interest in the sites.”

Swine Flu Drives Americans Online in Search of Information

News of the swine flu outbreak prompted many concerned Americans to jump online in search of information about prevention, detection and treatment of the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s site, CDC.gov, witnessed a 142-percent increase to 5.7 million visitors, making it the top-gaining property in April.

Social Networking Reports Record Visitation

The social networking category experienced a record month, growing 12 percent to nearly 140 million visitors, or nearly three-quarters of the U.S. online population. MySpace Sites led the category with 71 million visitors, followed by Facebook.com with 67.5 million visitors, an increase of 10 percent from the previous month. Twitter.com, now the third ranked social networking site, experienced another explosive month of visitor growth, jumping 83 percent to 17 million visitors.

Americans’ Homes Top of Mind in April

Many Americans sought information related to their homes in April with the Real Estate category reporting a 10-percent increase to 48.4 million visitors and the Community – Home category gaining 10 percent to nearly 30 million visitors. Move Network led as the most visited real estate site attracting 13.2 million visitors (up 88 percent vs. March), followed by Yahoo! Real Estate with 6.8 million visitors (up 11 percent) and AOL Real Estate with 3.6 million visitors (up 15 percent).

The start of spring led many Americans to consider home repairs and remodeling, driving traffic to the Community – Home category. About.com Home & Garden led the category with nearly 4 million visitors (up 16 percent), followed by AOL Home with 3.8 million visitors (up 29 percent) and Better Homes & Gardens Network with 3.8 million visitors (up 13 percent).

Top 50 Properties

Google Sites continued to lead as the most visited property in April with more than 155 million visitors, followed by Yahoo! Sites with 149 million visitors and Microsoft Sites with 126.5 million visitors. Facebook.com climbed one spot in the ranking to #8 with 67.5 million visitors.

Top 50 Ad Focus Ranking

Platform-A led the April Ad Focus ranking, reaching 91 percent of the nearly 193 million Americans online. Yahoo! Network ranked second, reaching 87 percent, while Google Ad Network ranked third with an 85 percent reach. Specific Media moved up seven spots to #5 reaching 82 percent, while FOX Audience Network climbed three positions to #6 reaching 77 percent of Americans online.

Table 1
______________________________________________________________________________

comScore Top 10 Gaining Properties by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors* (U.S.)

April 2009 vs. March 2009

Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations

Source: comScore Media Metrix

Total Unique Visitors (000)

Mar-09 Apr-09 % Change Rank by

Unique

Visitors

Total Internet: Total Audience 192,173 192,875 0 N/A

CDC.gov                             2,371      5,736     142        214
CHINAONTV.COM                       2,674      6,300     136        185
Move Network                        7,002     13,191      88         77
Twitter.com                         9,313     17,001      83         56
MLB.com                             6,860     12,497      82         87
Betawave Partners – Partial List    3,972      7,145      80        163
Hollywood.Net -
Hollywood Online Network       4,821      6,850      42        169
teen.com Network                    5,495      7,806      42        145
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) 3,774      5,086      35        236
Wikia Sites                         3,638      4,892      34        239
______________________________________________________________________________

*Ranking based on the top 250 properties in April 2009.

Table 2
______________________________________________________________________________

comScore Top 10 Gaining Site Categories* by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors (U.S.)

April 2009 vs. March 2009

Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations

Source: comScore Media Metrix

Total Unique Visitors (000)

Mar-09 Apr-09 % Change

Total Internet: Total Audience 192,173 192,875 0

Community – Teens                   19,947        24,142       21
Business/Finance – Taxes            18,311        20,585       12
Social Networking                  124,406       139,781       12
Real Estate                         43,924        48,357       10
Entertainment – Music               86,817        95,511       10
Community – Home                    27,161        29,857       10
Retail – Computer Software          34,346        37,685       10
Retail – Flowers/Gifts/Greetings    28,356        31,019        9
Online Gambling                     11,670        12,754        9
Gaming Information                  40,637        44,370        9

______________________________________________________________________________

For tables 3 & 4, please refer to: http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/5/Social_Networking_Category_Has_Record_Month_Led_by_Gains_at_Twitter_and_Facebook

About comScore Media Metrix

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