RESTON, Va., July 24, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today reported that the use of mobile maps is increasingly popular in the United States and Europe, with 8 percent of American mobile subscribers and 3 percent of European subscribers accessing maps from the mobile phone in the three-month period ending May 2008. This represents a growth rate of 82 percent and 49 percent in the number of users, respectively. According to the comScore M:Metrics Benchmark Study, the iPhone is the leading device used to access maps in the United States, and in Europe, the device trails the Nokia N95 and N70.

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    Map Access via Mobile Device
    Three-month average ending May 2007 and May 2008
    United States and Western Europe
    Source: comScore M:Metrics

                              Users (000s)           % of Mobile Subscribers
    Country        May-07       May-08       Change      May-07      May-08
    France            907        1,265          40%        2.0%        2.7%
    Germany           663          963          45%        1.4%        2.0%
    Italy           1,595        2,142          34%        3.5%        4.6%
    Spain             702        1,080          54%        2.0%        3.0%
    United Kingdom  1,247        2,147          72%        2.0%        2.7%
    Europe*         5,114        7,597          49%        2.4%        3.4%
    United States   9,280       16,871          82%        4.4%        7.5%

    *Includes top five countries listed.

"The mobile phone as a personal navigation device makes tremendous sense," observed Mark Donovan, senior analyst, comScore. "With the influx of devices, such as the iPhone with GPS, entering the market, Nokia's purchase of NAVTEQ and the growing popularity of downloadable navigation applications, you don't need a map to see where this sector is going."

According to comScore, 73 percent of mobile subscribers accessing maps are doing so via the browser in the U.S., and in Europe, 57 percent. Less than a third of Americans and Europeans are using a downloaded application, which allows even feature phones, with less computing power and often smaller screens, to better render graphic-rich maps and directions. Despite the ubiquity of SMS usage in Europe, the penetration of consumers accessing maps and directions via SMS is 24 percent; only one percentage point higher than it is in the United States.

The vast majority of mobile map users are seeking driving directions, even in Europe, where public transportation and non-vehicular options are more popular.

    Mode of Transport Intended to be Used when Accessing Maps
    Three-month average ending May 2007 and May 2008
    United States and Western Europe
    Source: comScore M:Metrics

                               France  Germany   Italy   Spain    UK     US
    % Penetration of Activity

    Driving or riding in car    79.9%    62.4%   77.3%    63.9%  57.9%  85.7%
    Using public transit        18.6%    30.0%   15.1%    26.1%  30.2%  14.9%
    Walking, running or biking  21.5%    31.2%   19.4%    22.1%  41.0%  14.6%

While mobile access to maps has surged, online access to maps using the PC shows more modest gains in the United States and Western Europe. In the United Kingdom, which posted the highest growth in mobile access to maps at 72 percent, online access via the PC dipped from 45 percent penetration in May 2007 to 41 percent in May 2008. In the U.S., the increase in the number of users accessing maps from a mobile device far outpaced the increase in the number of people who accessed maps via the PC.

    Map Access via PC
    May 2007 and May 2008
    United States and Western Europe
    Source: comScore Media Metrix

                           Unique Visitors (000s)     % of Online Population
    Country          May-07      May-08       Change      May-07      May-08
    United States    70,471      72,327           3%        44.9        44.2
    United Kingdom   14,215      14,027          -1%        45.1        40.7
    Germany          11,597      12,188           5%        35.4        35.1
    France           10,510      11,622          11%        40.9        37.4
    Spain             5,245       5,645           8%        37.7        35.4
    Italy             4,718       5,436          15%        26.2        28.3

About comScore

comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of approximately 2 million Internet users 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 gathers and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Using its proprietary technology, comScore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of digital behavior and attitudes and helps clients design more powerful marketing strategies that deliver superior ROI. With its recent acquisition of M:Metrics, comScore is also a leading source of data on mobile usage. In an independent survey of 800 of the nation's most influential publishers, advertising agencies and advertisers conducted by William Blair & Company in July 2008, comScore was rated the 'most preferred online audience measurement service' by 54% of respondents, a full 20 points ahead of its nearest competitor. comScore services are used by more than 950 clients, including global leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, BBC, Carat, Cyworld, Deutsche Bank, France Telecom, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Financial Times, ESPN, Fox Sports, Nestle, Starcom, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, the University of Chicago, Verizon Services Group and ViaMichelin. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com.

About M:Metrics

Acquired by comScore, Inc. in May 2008, M:Metrics is an authoritative source of data on mobile usage. Using its proprietary on-device metering technology and one of the world's largest monthly surveys of mobile users, M:Metrics provides data on actual mobile content consumption by applying trusted media measurement methodologies to the mobile market. M:Metrics' monthly syndicated data service gives clients the critical insights and intelligence used to inform smart business strategies and the competitive benchmarks needed to evaluate the performance of competitors and partners. M:Metrics services are used by more than 180 clients, including global leaders in the mobile, advertising, technology and consumer goods industries such as Verizon, Vodafone, Microsoft, RIM, FOX, CBS, BBC, BMW, Samsung, Palm, Qualcomm, Ericsson, O&M, and JWT. For more information, please visit www.mmetrics.com.

SOURCE comScore, Inc.

http://www.comscore.com

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