Half of All U.S. Internet Users Visited News Sites in June 2006, According to Comscore Networks

RESTON, VA, August 7, 2006 – Comscore MMX today released an analysis of consumer activity at general news sites. More than half (54 percent) of all U.S. Internet users visited sites in the General News category in June 2006, demonstrating consumers’ reliance on the Web as a source for news information.

The top 10 General News sites reflect consumers’ preferred sources for news online, with most sites having ties to traditional media outlets, with the exception of category leader Yahoo! News. In June, Yahoo! News reached 31.2 million unique visitors (one-third of all category visitors), followed by MSNBC, which captured 23.4 million (one-quarter) of those who visited General News sites in June 2006. AOL News rounded out the top three with 20.4 million unique visitors in June, reaching 22 percent of category visitors.

On a worldwide basis, the General News category reached approximately 320 million unique visitors during June, which represents 45 percent of the total online audience worldwide.

“Interestingly, five of the top 10 General News sites worldwide are operated by U.S.-based companies,” said Jack Flanagan, executive vice president, Comscore MMX. “Yahoo! News is the category leader, both domestically and worldwide, while MSNBC and CNN rank among the top 5 news sites in the U.S. and among the worldwide Internet population.”

An analysis of reach by daypart reveals that the “Work Day” time segment reaches the most category visitors, delivering 33 percent of all visitors to General News sites. The Weekend and Evening dayparts are also popular news times, with a reach of 30 percent and 28 percent of all category visitors, respectively.

The Comscore analysis also revealed that the General News category audience includes sought-after demographic segments, including men and women across age segments. General News visitors also tend to have higher incomes, with 58 percent living in households with income above $60,000. They are 11 percent more likely than the norm to have a household income of $75,000 and 16 percent more likely than average to earn more than $100,000.

“With nearly 95 million Americans turning to the Web each month for news, it’s clear that this category represents a strong opportunity for advertisers seeking to reach an important audience segment,” commented Flanagan. “Moreover, their high household incomes make News visitors a desirable target for marketers across a variety of categories of goods and services.”

About Comscore MMX

Comscore MMX, a division of Comscore Networks, provides industry-leading Internet audience measurement services that report – with unmatched accuracy – 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 MMX continues the tradition of quality and innovation established by its MMX syndicated Internet ratings – long recognized as the currency in online media measurement among financial analysts, advertising agencies, publishers and marketers – while drawing upon Comscore's advanced technologies to address important new industry requirements. All Comscore MMX syndicated ratings are based on industry-sanctioned sampling methodologies.

About Comscore Networks

Comscore Networks is a global leader in measuring the digital age. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given Comscore permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. Comscore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its proprietary technology, Comscore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of behavior and attitudes. Comscore consultants apply this deep knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI. Comscore services are used by global leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Verizon, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Tribune Interactive, ESPN, Fox Sports, Nestlé, MBNA, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, Merck and Expedia. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com.

Press
Bill Daddi
Daddi Brand Communications
646-370-1341
press@comscore.com