Consumers set up a blockbuster holiday season at the Box Office
More than 60 percent of Visitors to BBC Sites are from Overseas
London, U.K. May 31, 2007 – Comscore, a leader in measuring the digital world, today reported that in April 2007 many of the U.K.’s largest traditional media sites attracted more visitors from overseas than from within the U.K. Comscore data revealed that online visitors from outside the U.K. outnumbered the domestic audience in the case of The BBC, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times, The Independent, The Daily Mail, The Mirror and The Financial Times.
The Financial Times had the highest percentage of international visitors, with 85 percent of its audience originating from outside the U.K. Five.TV, ITV, BSkyB, and Channel 4 were the only four top properties whose U.K. audience was larger than their international audience.
“The Internet allows consumers to view relevant content at any site from anywhere in the world. It is therefore critical for publishers and advertisers to understand their global franchise – not just their U.K. audience,” commented Bob Ivins, managing director of Comscore Europe.
"The Internet will always be a global medium, and audiences often follow interests more than national boundaries. Agencies need to be aware of this and realize that when they buy on UK sites they may also get an international audience. Research like this is enlightening because it makes people think about established media channels differently,” said Dan Calladine, research director of Isobar.
Unique Visitors to U.K. Based Media Groups*Ranked by U.K. Visitors (000)April 2007Total UK and Worldwide - Home and Work Locations**Source: comscore World Metrix
U.K. Unique Visitors* (000)
Total Worldwide Unique Visitors* (000)
% of International Traffic***
BBC Sites
17,888
46,357
61%
British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB)
6,655
8,819
25%
ITV Sites
4,344
5,566
22%
Channel4
3,380
5,161
35%
Guardian Media Group
3,249
7,686
58%
THESUN.CO.UK
2,826
4,906
42%
Telegraph Group Ltd
1,699
3,703
54%
Times Online
1,584
3,500
55%
Independent News & Media
1,326
4,998
73%
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK
1,178
3,805
69%
MIRROR.CO.UK
595
1,206
51%
FIVE.TV
732
886
17%
Financial Times Group
305
2,048
85%
*Unique visitors aged 15+**Excludes traffic from public computers such as internet cafes, or access from mobile phones or PDAs*** International traffic defined as online visitation originating from outside the U.K.
About Comscore Comscore is a global leader in measuring the digital world. 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 behaviour, including online and offline purchasing. Comscore panellists 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 behaviour and attitudes. Comscore analysts apply this deep knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com.
PressBill DaddiDaddi Brand Communications646-370-1341press@comscore.com