Commentary
General News Captured Half the Internet Visitors in June
- by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, August 16, 2006
In a recently released analysis of consumer activity at general news sites, comScore Media Metrix reported that more than half (54 percent) of all U.S. Internet users visited sites in the General News category in June 2006.
In June, Yahoo! News reached 31.2 million unique visitors (one-third of all category visitors), followed by MSNBC, which captured 23.4 million (one-quarter) of those who visited General News sites in June 2006. AOL News rounded out the top three with 20.4 million unique visitors in June, reaching 22 percent of category visitors.
U.S. Home, Work and University Internet Users June 2006 | ||
Unique Visitors (x000) | Category Reach | |
Total Internet Audience | 172,907 | N/A |
General News | 94,070 | 100% |
Yahoo! News | 31,186 | 33% |
MSNBC | 23,393 | 25% |
AOL News | 20,405 | 22% |
CNN | 19,891 | 21% |
Internet Broadcasting | 9,518 | 10% |
The New York Times Brand | 8,593 | 9% |
Tribune Newspapers | 8,456 | 9% |
Knight Ridder Digital | 7,585 | 8% |
ABCNEWS DIGITAL | 7,533 | 8% |
USATODAY Sites | 7,252 | 8% |
Source: comScore Media Metrix | ||
On a worldwide basis, the General News category reached approximately 320 million unique visitors during June, which represents 45 percent of the total online audience worldwide.
Jack Flanagan, executive vice president, comScore Media Metrix, said "Interestingly, five of the top 10 General News sites worldwide are operated by U.S.-based companies..."
Top 10 Total Worldwide General News Sites, Among Unique Visitors (x000) Age 15+ June 2006 | ||
Jun-06 | Category Reach | |
Total Internet Audience | 712,976 | N/A |
General News | 319,964 | 100% |
Yahoo! News | 76,245 | 24% |
CNN | 30,413 | 10% |
MSNBC | 28,557 | 9% |
163.COM News | 28,484 | 9% |
QQ.COM News | 26,178 | 8% |
SINA News | 25,810 | 8% |
AOL News | 23,901 | 7% |
The New York Times Brand | 13,068 | 4% |
BBC UKFS News (excl. home page) | 11,949 | 4% |
TOM.COM News | 10,016 | 3% |
Source: comScore World Metrix | ||
The report also showed that the General News category audience includes visitors who tend to have higher incomes, with 58 percent living in households with income above $60,000. They are 11 percent more likely than the norm to have a household income of $75,000 and 16 percent more likely than average to earn more than $100,000.
Demographic Profile of General News Visitors(Total U.S. Home, Work and University Internet Users, June 2006) | ||
Percent Composition | Composition Index | |
Males - Age | ||
All Males | 50.2 | 101 |
Male: 25-34 | 7.9 | 111 |
Male: 35-44 | 9.6 | 112 |
Males: 45-54 | 10.6 | 114 |
Male: 55-64 | 7.3 | 111 |
Females - Age | ||
All Females | 49.8 | 99 |
Female: 25-34 | 8.1 | 108 |
Female: 35-44 | 10.6 | 109 |
Females: 35-49 | 16.7 | 110 |
Females: 45-54 | 12.4 | 111 |
Female: 55-64 | 5.4 | 106 |
HH Income (US) | ||
Household Income: $60K+ | 57.7 | 109 |
Household Income: $75K+ | 43.0 | 111 |
Household Income: $100k+ | 25.4 | 116 |
Source: comScore Media Metrix | ||
"With nearly 95 million Americans turning to the Web each month for news, it's clear that this category represents a strong opportunity for advertisers seeking to reach an important audience segment," concluded Flanagan.
For more on this study, please visit here.
Jack Loechner is the Editor of The Center for Media Research's daily Research Brief. You can reach him at jack@mediapost.com.