• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, January 26, 2003

Home Sweepstakes, War and Health Drives Viewers to Internet

Nielsen//NetRatings reports that traffic to HGTV.com surged 341 percent during the week ending January 19, as surfers logged onto the site to enter the 2003 Dream Home Giveaway online.

The cable network aired a televised tour of the house on January 1, and according to Nielsen Media Research, more than 1.1 million viewers ages 2+ watched HGTV that day. During the latest week, Nielsen//NetRatings data shows that more than 1.5 million surfers visited HGTV.com from home, gaining nearly five times more visitors since the announcement of the sweepstakes in late December.

"The do-it-yourself home improvement television shows are the other type of reality programs that have grown in popularity, with its online component offering additional value-added content online," said Carolyn Clark, senior Internet analyst, Nielsen//NetRatings.

Additional Highlights from Nielsen//NetRatings' Week on The Web:

Traffic to Buy.com spiked 54 percent, at work, for the week ending January 19. Almost 600,000 office workers logged on as compared to 387,000 the previous week.

Curiosity in Golden Globes fashion drove surfers from work to Eonline.com for the week ending January 19. Traffic to the site jumped 67 percent to 860,000 surfers, compared to 518,000 unique vistors the previous week. Fans flocked to the gossip pages to check out what the E! Online's Fashion Police had to say about celebrity fashion.

And, the for the week ending January 12, 2003:

Top 10 Government, Nonprofit, Home and Fashion sites
	Unique Audience (000)	Active Reach (%)
U.S. Dept. of Defense	1,325	1.6
U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services	1,169	1.41
U.S. Dept. of the Treasury	1,145	1.38
U.S. Dept. of Commerce	955	1.15
California	756	0.91
U.S. Dept. of the Interior	600	0.72
U.S. Legislative Branch	589	0.71
Republican National Committee	483	0.58
U.S. National Aeronautics & Space Administration	475	0.57
State of Ohio	471	0.57
Top 10 Home & Fashion Sites
	Unique Audience (000)	Active Reach (%)
HGTV	1,558	1.88
AOL House & Home	1,134	1.37
Food Network	1,026	1.24
Kraft Foods	948	1.14
MSN House & Home	897	1.08
Realtor.com	886	1.07
JC Penney	761	0.92
Homestore	725	0.88
victoriassecret.com	581	0.7
The Gap	500	0.6

Source: Nielsen//NetRatings
Week ending Jan. 12, 2003 US, Home
www.nielsen-netratings.com