RESTON, Va., Feb 01, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released rankings of the top U.S. Internet properties based on the number of display ad impressions delivered. Display ads are defined as any rich media or static images that are served and loaded into a Web browser, but do not include video streams, text or paid search ad impressions. comScore reports the display ad impressions as "ad views," since the comScore technology records the ads as they are actually rendered on an Internet user's computer (as opposed to other technologies that only "spider" publisher sites for ads but are not able to record the actual delivery of all ads, especially behaviorally targeted ads, to the sites' visitors.)

The data are obtained from comScore Ad Metrix, a new service that provides a detailed profile of online display ad views for advertisers and publishers. comScore Ad Metrix Publisher reports on the publisher sites where display ads are served, while comScore Ad Metrix Advertiser tracks the advertising activity identified by the online advertiser..

"comScore Ad Metrix gives both advertisers and publishers a truly unique perspective on their online ad viewing audience," said Alistair Sutcliffe, vice president of comScore Advertising Solutions. "It's an essential tool for any media planner wanting to understand if their online ad campaigns are reaching the right people and for benchmarking against their competitors' online advertising efforts."

Top Online Display Ad Publishers

Yahoo! Sites ranked as the top display ad publisher property in November, with 18.8 percent of display ad views, followed by Fox Interactive (16.3 percent), Microsoft Sites (6.7 percent), Time Warner Network (5.8 percent) and Facebook.com (1.5 percent). Nearly half (49.1 percent) of all display ads seen by U.S. Internet users originate on only five properties, illustrating the concentration of advertising among a few properties.

"Since just a handful of publisher properties deliver a preponderance of display ads, when one goes beyond the top properties it's clear how fragmented the online advertising market is, underscoring the importance of advertising networks in aggregating the long tail." added Mr. Sutcliffe.

    Top 20 Ad Publishers Ranked by Share of Online Display Ads
    November 2007
    Total U.S. - Home/Work/University Locations
    Source: comScore Ad Metrix

             Publisher                Share of      Display Ads
                                     Display Ads     per Visit
    Total Internet:  Total             100.0 %         35.1
    Audience
    Yahoo! Sites                        18.8 %         20.5
    Fox Interactive Media               16.3 %         47.5
    Microsoft Sites                      6.7 %          9.8
    Time Warner Network                  5.8 %         10.1
    FACEBOOK.COM                         1.5 %          8.4
    eBay                                 1.2 %          8.4
    Google Sites                         1.0 %          1.3
    Viacom Digital                       1.0 %         20.6
    United Online, Inc                   0.5 %         18.3
    Amazon Sites                         0.4 %          8.2
    New York Times Digital               0.4 %         11.5
    CBS Sports                           0.3 %         22.4
    COMCAST.NET                          0.3 %          4.0
    PHOTOBUCKET.COM                      0.3 %         16.8
    BEBO.COM                             0.3 %         27.2
    ESPN                                 0.3 %          6.2
    Weather Channel, The                 0.3 %          8.8
    NFL Internet Group                   0.3 %         12.9
    Ask Network                          0.2 %          3.4
    Glam Media                           0.2 %         11.9

One dimension to understanding a site's ability to monetize its content is the number of display ads it serves. Of the top 20 ad publishers, Fox Interactive served the most display ads per user visit to its sites (47.5), a particularly high number that is a function of both site engagement and how many ads are displayed per page. Bebo (27.2), CBS Sports (22.6), Viacom Digital (20.6) and Yahoo! Sites (20.5) each served an average of more than 20 display ads per user visit.

To request more information on comScore Ad Metrix, please visit: http://www.comscore.com/contact

About comScore

comScore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world. For more information, please visit http://www.comscore.com/boilerplate

SOURCE comScore, Inc.

http://www.comscore.com

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