RESTON, VA, February 27, 2007 – comScore Networks, a leader in measuring the digital age, today reported the results of a study conducted on visitation to popular film-related Internet sites in conjunction with the 79^th Annual Academy Awards (the “Oscars”).  On Oscar Sunday (February 25, 2007), 139,000 U.S. Internet users visited Oscar.com, a one-day increase of 219-percent versus the 44,000 visitors that visited the site on February 24, 2007.

“For the audience watching the Academy Awards at home, the Internet has become an important part of enjoying the festivities,” said Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix.  “Whether they follow the action on the red carpet or view clips and trailers of nominated movies, consumers are supplementing their television viewing experience with Web content.”

Visitors to Internet movie database, IMDB.com, rose 5 percent on Oscar Sunday versus the Sunday two weeks prior to the event (February 18, 2007), reaching 1.1 million unique visitors. Oscar.com saw the biggest one-day increase with a 219-percent jump from the day before Oscar Sunday, while EW.com posted a 193-percent gain versus the previous Sunday.  Although Eonline.com saw its traffic decline 37 percent from the high traffic achieved the previous Sunday (due primarily to earlier coverage regarding Anna Nicole Smith and Britney Spears), visitation did see a 19-percent increase versus from the preceding Saturday, reaching 74,000 unique visitors on Oscar Sunday.

Wide International Film Presence at Academy Awards Attracts Significant Global Traffic to Oscar.com

With the pre-ceremony buzz surrounding the increased international film presence, international visitor traffic to Oscar.com also spiked.  Of the 422,000 total worldwide visitors to Oscar.com on Oscar Sunday, just one out of every three site visitors came from the U.S. while the remaining two-thirds came from international locations.  Canada and Mexico, both of which were well represented among the various award nominees, combined to account for nearly 10 percent of the worldwide audience.  European countries such as the U.K. and France also factored in prominently with 10,000 and 8,000 visitors, respectively.

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 provides insight on 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.