• by Masha Geller , January 17, 2002

Here's an interesting factoid - the Nielsen//NetRatings Global WebWatch data for November found that the audiences of the top 10 global properties were all predominantly male, with CNET Networks and eBay showing the most marked tendency toward male users, particularly in Europe and Asia Pacific.

"With the exception of the US and Canada, the Internet population in every country Nielsen//NetRatings measures is predominantly male," said Richard Goosey, chief of measurement science and analytics at Nielsen//NetRatings.

"The proportions of the audiences for these top properties are often heavily male,” he added, “going well beyond the general male to female proportion of the overall population. However, the gender proportion for each property in the Americas region is more balanced, reflecting the strong female audiences in the US and Canada."

Goosey also noted that the demographic analysis by region showed that MSN is attracting the most consistent audience when the male vs. female demographic is compared, with only a 14% variation across regions.

"A balanced audience is desirable, serving as an indicator that the domains and sites contained in that property combine to provide the proverbial 'something for everyone.' While one of the beauties of the Internet is that specific sites can be wildly successful in targeting specific genders and age groups, at the property level Internet companies become like any other mass media - they must attract as broad an audience as possible in order to remain viable for the long term."