• by July 8, 2002

comScore Networks, Inc. today reported that in seven of the 10 largest U.S. markets the audience for major newspaper websites grew much faster over the past six months than the markets' total Internet user base.

"It's clear that online newspaper sites are rapidly gaining readers -- generally at the expense of print readership," said Peter Daboll, division president of comScore Media Metrix.

The analysis, conducted by the firm's comScore Media Metrix division, revealed disproportionately strong growth in unique visitors for newspapers in their local Designated Market Areas (DMA®). For example, in New York -- the nation's largest DMA -- unique visitors to the New York Daily News Web domain (nydailynews.com) increased 23%, while unique Internet users for the total New York DMA grew only three percent during the same six-month period. Similarly, unique visitors to Chicago's suntimes.com increased 38% while the total Internet-using population in that city grew only three percent over the same period.

In a separate analysis of the buying power of online audiences, comScore Media Metrix also reported that the average visitor to 12 of the 13 measured newspaper sites spends significantly more online than both the average Web user and the typical visitor to news and information sites. Topping the list is Knight Ridder's bayarea.com (326 BPI), followed by newsday.com (311 BPI) and nypost.com (280 BPI).

Daboll said that many of these newspaper sites offer “a rare opportunity for advertisers to efficiently reach local market audiences that are growing rapidly and spending money more freely.”

comScore Media Metrix' Buying Power Index (BPI) measures the total dollars spent online (across all sites) by the average member of a site's audience, indexed to the total online dollars spent by the average Internet user. For example, visitors to a site with a BPI of 100 spend an average amount across the Web, while a site with a BPI of 200 draws visitors that spend twice as much online as the average Internet user.