694 Million People Currently Use the Internet Worldwide According to comScore Networks

RESTON, Va., May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- comScore Networks, today announced the launch of comScore World Metrix, the first true estimate of global online audience size and behavior based on activity from the world's largest online behavioral research panel. The comScore World Metrix panel has active representation from countries that comprise 99 percent of the global Internet population. In launching comScore World Metrix, the company announced that 694 million people, age 15+, used the Internet worldwide from all locations in March 2006, representing 14 percent of the world's total population within this age group. This number marks the first worldwide universe estimate based on a consistent methodology across all countries.

Notably, comScore World Metrix includes measurement of the major Asian countries, including China, Japan, India and Korea, which represent nearly 25 percent of the total worldwide online population (or 168.1 million users), and which, in the aggregate, are 11 percent larger than the U.S. (152 million users).

"Today, the online audience in the U.S. represents less than a quarter of Internet users across the globe, versus ten years ago when it accounted for two-thirds of the global audience," said Peter Daboll, president and CEO of comScore Media Metrix. "This is a sea change of enormous proportion, and comScore is pleased to be able to provide measurement to aid the world's largest marketers in understanding how the world uses the Internet."

"Previously, MSN has attempted to harmonize disparate sources of data to get a global view. The fact that comScore World Metrix data are produced with a consistent methodology worldwide will make a significant difference, enabling us to analyze what is happening globally and truly understand consumer online behavior," said Chris Dobson, vice president of sales, MSN International. "This is a significant step forward for the industry and timed perfectly as the importance of markets outside the U.S. grows, especially rapidly developing countries like China and India, which up to now have not enjoyed such insight."

   Top 15 Online Populations by Country, Among Visitors Age 15+*
   March 2006
   Total Worldwide - All Locations
   Unique Visitors (000)
   Source: comScore World Metrix
                                        Unique Visitors
                                             (000)
   Worldwide Total                          694,260
   United States                            152,046
   China                                     74,727
   Japan                                     52,100
   Germany                                   31,813
   United Kingdom                            30,190
   South Korea                               24,645
   France                                    23,884
   Canada                                    18,996
   Italy                                     16,834
   India                                     16,713
   Brazil                                    13,186
   Spain                                     12,452
   Netherlands                               10,969
   Russia                                    10,833
   Australia                                  9,735

   * Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafe and,
     access from mobile phones or PDAs.


  Israel, Finland and South Korea Lead the World in Online Engagement

comScore also released the top 15 countries ranked by average hours spent online per visitor for March 2006, as a measure of engagement. Israel led the list, with the average user spending 57.5 hours online during the month -- twice as much time compared to the average person in the U.S., which did not rank in the top 15 countries. Rounding out the top 5 were Finland, South Korea, the Netherlands and Taiwan -- all countries with high broadband penetration.

"comScore World Metrix data show high levels of engagement in countries outside the U.S. In fact, the U.S. does not even make the top 15 country list in terms of hours per user per month," said Mr. Daboll. "These high engagement levels demonstrate the importance of global measurement and underscore the fact that the Web is certainly not just a U.S. phenomenon."

   Top 15 Countries by Average Monthly Hours Online per Unique Visitor
   Among Visitors Age 15+*
   March 2006
   Total Worldwide - All Locations
   Source: comScore World Metrix
                                       Avg. Hours per Visitor
                                              March-06
   Worldwide                                     31.3
   Israel                                        57.5
   Finland                                       49.3
   South Korea                                   47.2
   Netherlands                                   43.5
   Taiwan, Province of China                     43.2
   Sweden                                        41.4
   Brazil                                        41.2
   Hong Kong                                     41.2
   Portugal                                      39.8
   Canada                                        38.4
   Germany                                       37.2
   Denmark                                       36.8
   France                                        36.8
   Norway                                        35.4
   Venezuela                                     35.3

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


  Top Global Properties

comScore also issued a sneak preview of the top 15 media properties worldwide, with MSN- Microsoft Sites topping the list with 538.6 million global users, followed by Google (495.8 million users), and Yahoo! (480.2 million users). Yahoo! Sites led all global properties in page views with 137.2 billion page views during March, followed by Google (108.7 billion page views), and MSN- Microsoft Sites (96.2 billion page views). comScore will officially begin releasing World Metrix statistics with the issuance of May data in June.

"While the 'big three' properties remain consistent among worldwide and U.S. audiences, Wikipedia has emerged as a site that continues to increase in popularity, both globally and in the U.S. Wikipedia's popularity demonstrates the global power of the Web to unite and provide information across countries and languages, but the full extent of its global appeal is only measurable through this new worldwide measurement," Mr. Daboll commented.

   Top 15 Online Properties Worldwide, Among Visitors Age 15+*
   March 2006
   Total Worldwide - All Locations
   Source: comScore World Metrix
                                            Unique Visitors
                                                (000)
   Worldwide Total                             694,260
   MSN-Microsoft Sites                         538,578
   Google Sites                                495,788
   Yahoo! Sites                                480,228
   eBay                                        269,690
   Time Warner Network                         241,525
   Amazon Sites                                154,640
   Wikipedia Sites                             131,949
   Ask Network                                 127,377
   Adobe Sites                                 115,774
   Lycos, Inc.                                 109,394
   CNET Networks                               107,589
   Apple Computer, Inc.                         98,622
   Real.com Network                             78,104
   Monster Worldwide                            74,152
   Wanadoo Sites                                73,446

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

Companies interested in obtaining information about comScore World Metrix services should call (866) 276-6972.

About comScore Networks

comScore Networks provides unparalleled insight into consumer behavior and attitudes. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given comScore explicit permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. comScore panelists 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 behavior 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, Nestle, MBNA, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, Merck and Expedia. For more information, please visit http://www.comscore.com/ .