RESTON, Va., Sept 15, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today announced that mobile search is gaining in both popularity and frequency of use in the U.S. and Western Europe.

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comScore M:Metrics reports that in June 2008, 20.8 million U.S. mobile subscribers and 4.5 million European mobile phone subscribers accessed search during the month, an increase of 68 and 38 percent from June 2007, respectively. The U.K. had the highest penetration of mobile subscribers using search at 9.5 percent, followed closely by the U.S. at 9.2 percent.

    Mobile Search via Mobile Device
    Three-month average ending June 2007 and June 2008
    United States and Western Europe
    Source: comScore M:Metrics MobiLens

                       Mobile Search Users (000)      % of Mobile Subscribers
                                          Percent
    Country            Jun-07    Jun-08    Change        Jun-07     Jun-08
    France              1,483     2,196     48%           3.3%       4.7%
    Germany             1,316     1,837     40%           2.8%       3.7%
    Italy               2,010     2,810     40%           4.5%       6.0%
    Spain                 923     1,293     40%           2.9%       3.8%
    United Kingdom      3,454     4,497     30%           7.7%       9.5%
    Europe*             9,186    12,633     38%           4.3%       5.6%
    United States      12,353    20,793     68%           5.8%       9.2%

    *Includes top five countries listed.

"It is interesting to note that as we see the number of mobile search users increase, the frequency of activity is also growing," observed Alistair Hill, analyst, comScore. "The number of people accessing mobile search at least once a week grew 50 percent in Europe, with France and Spain leading at a rate of 69 and 63 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, the number of U.S. users accessing mobile search has more than doubled as a result of expanded 3G penetration and smartphone adoption, as well as the proliferation of flat-rate data plans. We have also seen a substantial improvement to the mobile search offerings in the U.S. market."

    Accessing Mobile Search via Mobile Device at Least Once a Week
    Three-month average ending June 2007 and June 2008
    United States and Western Europe
    Source: comScore M:Metrics MobiLens
                                               Users (000)
    Country                   Jun-07             Jun-08         Percent Change
    France                      423                715                  69%
    Germany                     462                634                  37%
    Italy                       860              1,219                  42%
    Spain                       298                487                  63%
    United Kingdom            1,105              1,695                  53%
    Europe*                   3,148              4,714                  50%
    United States             4,990             10,177                 104%

    *Includes top five countries listed.

Google is the preferred brand for browser-based searches with a 60 percent share of mobile searchers ("mobile searcher penetration") in all countries measured by comScore M:Metrics. Yahoo! ranks second in Germany, Italy, UK and the U.S. In the U.S., Yahoo's mobile searcher penetration is 34.6 percent, more than double its share in most other countries.

    Top Mobile Search Brands By Mobile Searcher Penetration
    Three-month average ending June 2008
    United States and Western Europe
    Source: comScore M:Metrics MobiLens

    FRANCE                                 GERMANY
    Google                        62.9%    Google                      85.1%
    MSN / Windows Live Search      9.6%    Yahoo!                       9.4%

    ITALY                                  SPAIN
    Google                        88.1%    Google                      82.5%
    Yahoo!                        19.5%    MSN / Windows Live Search   12.1%

    UK                                     US
    Google                        74.0%    Google                      63.0%
    Yahoo!                        16.2%    Yahoo!                      34.6%

About comScore

comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and a preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. In an independent survey of 800 of the 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's capabilities are 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, helping 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. comScore services are used by more than 1100 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, visit http://www.comscore.com.

SOURCE comScore, Inc.

http://www.comscore.com

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