London, U.K., November 22, 2006 - comScore Networks, a leader in measuring the digital age, today revealed the top U.K. Internet properties for October, based on data collected through its comScore World Metrix audience ratings service.  Google Sites (not including YouTube) edged out Microsoft Sites in October to become the most-visited Web property in the U.K. for the first time, followed by Microsoft Sites and eBay.

 

Top 20 Online Properties by U.K. Unique Visitors, Age 15+ October 2006  Total U.K. - Home and Work Locations* Source: comScore World Metrix
	Sept.-06 (000)	Oct.-06 (000)	Percentage Change
Total U.K. Internet Audience, Age 15+	29,589	29,553	0%
Google Sites	24,748	24,816	0%
Microsoft Sites	24,958	24,798	-1%
eBay	19,825	19,905	0%
Yahoo! Sites	19,670	19,474	-1%
BBC Sites	16,704	16,339	-2%
Time Warner Network	13,081	12,990	-1%
Amazon Sites	11,875	12,386	4%
Ask Network	12,021	11,771	-2%
Fox Interactive Media	8,739	9,245	6%
Wikipedia Sites	8,217	8,630	5%
DMGT	8,629	7,958	-8%
British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB)	7,040	7,604	8%
Apple Computer, Inc.	7,495	7,528	0%
YOUTUBE.COM	5,852	7,252	24%
GUS	6,802	6,993	3%
MULTIMAP.COM	7,465	6,964	-7%
France Telecom	7,347	6,906	-6%
CNET Networks	6,494	6,879	6%
Tesco Stores	5,958	6,674	12%
NTL	6,555	6,663	2%

* Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

 

"We have watched the popularity of Google consistently grow over time," said Bob Ivins, managing director of comScore Europe.  "While the current month-over-month increase was small, it was just enough to earn them the number one spot."

 

Added Ivins: "Also notable was YouTube's 24 percent increase in traffic in October.  YouTube's ascent in popularity around the world and in the U.K., demonstrated by the site's month-after-month double-digit percentage increases, has been remarkable."

 

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Retail sites represented nearly half of the top 20 gaining sites in the U.K. in October, indicating an early interest in holiday shopping.  Leading the top gainers were Woolworths Group plc with 2.6 million visitors and HMV with 2.4 million visitors, growing 65 and 30 percent, respectively.  U.K. traffic to the Wal-Mart Web property, which includes ASDA, grew 14 percent to 2.3 million visitors.  Littlewoods Shop Direct Group grew 12 percent to 3.9 million visitors, followed by Tesco Stores (also a top 20 site), which grew 12 percent to 6.7 million visitors.  Other retail sites rounding out the list of top gainers include Marks&Spencer, up 10 percent to 2.4 million visitors; Play.com sites, up 10 percent to 3.6 million visitors; and Dixons Stores Group, up 10 percent to 4.2 million visitors. 

 

In addition to shopping, Britons were apparently busy booking holiday travel in October, with traffic to British Airways gaining 26 percent to 3.5 million visitors and British Midland gaining 11 percent to 2.6 million visitors.

 

Top 20 Gaining Properties by Percentage Change in U.K. Unique Visitors* October 2006 vs. September 2006 Total U.K. Visitors, Age 15+ - Home and Work Locations** Source: comScore World Metrix
	Sept.-06 (000)	Oct.-06 (000)	Percentage Change
Total U.K. Internet Audience, Age 15+	29,589	29,553	0%
Woolworths Group plc	1,577	2,602	65%
HMV	1,837	2,380	30%
British Airways	2,803	3,530	26%
Vodafone Group	3,967	4,994	26%
YOUTUBE.COM	5,852	7,252	24%
Bank of America	2,200	2,713	23%
Disney Online	2,804	3,275	17%
NATIONALLOTTERY.CO.UK	3,760	4,361	16%
Reed Elsevier Group	2,368	2,706	14%
Wal-Mart (includes ASDA)	1,998	2,277	14%
HSBC	4,353	4,945	14%
EA Online	1,932	2,180	13%
Littlewoods Shop Direct Group	3,462	3,888	12%
Tesco Stores	5,958	6,674	12%
Sony Online	2,537	2,840	12%
British Midland	2,338	2,591	11%
Marks&Spencer	2,217	2,445	10%
Play.com Sites	3,306	3,639	10%
Dixons Stores Group	3,806	4,177	10%
BEBO.COM	4,458	4,886	10%

*Ranking based on the top 100 U.K. properties in October 2006.

** Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

 

 

Online advertising by banking sites Bank of America and HSBC paid off with sizable traffic gains in October with Bank of America growing 23 percent to 2.7 million visitors and HSBC growing 14 percent to 4.9 million visitors.

 

"Banks have invested in online advertising ahead of retail spending this holiday season, offering low rates on credit cards, as well as refinancing opportunities," Ivins commented. 

 

About comScore World Metrix

comScore World Metrix is the first service to continuously measure and report online behaviour on a world-wide basis, providing visitation metrics and demographic characteristics for Web site audiences around the world.  With active representation of countries that comprise the vast majority of the global Internet population, World Metrix provides its clients with worldwide Internet population estimates and harmonized online performance metrics based on a consistent methodology across all countries.  More than 100 clients subscribe to comScore's World Metrix service, including 8 of the top 10 interactive advertising agencies.

 

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 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 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.   

 

 

 

 

Contact:
Andrew Lipsman
comScore Networks
(312) 775-6510
press@comscore.com