Google-Owned Orkut Dominates Social Networking in Brazil
RESTON, VA, November 19, 2008 – Comscore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released results from a study of the state of the Internet in Brazil, which includes a focus on social networking, one of the country’s most popular Internet categories. Comscore’s data show that 85 percent of Brazilians age 15 and older who accessed the Internet from home or work computers in September 2008 visited a social networking site, up from 76 percent in September 2007. Compared to other countries with Internet populations of at least 10 million monthly unique visitors, Brazil had the second highest percent reach in the social networking category, slightly behind Canada with 87 percent.
These findings, as well as additional industry insights, will be presented during a complimentary Portuguese-language webinar, entitled State of the Internet in Brazil, on Wednesday, November 26 at 3 p.m. San Paulo time (see webinar details below).
Percent Reach for Social Networking Category in Selected Countries* September 2008 vs. September 2007Total Worldwide, Age 15+, Home and Work Locations*Source: Comscore World Metrix
Country
Percent Reach
Sep-2007
Sep-2008
Point Change
Canada
83.9
86.5
2.6
Brazil
76.0
85.3
9.3
United Kingdom
78.7
78.4
-0.3
Mexico
67.3
73.0
5.7
Spain
63.9
70.7
6.8
United States
65.8
70.2
4.5
Australia
56.5
67.5
11.1
Germany
45.9
65.5
19.6
Italy
53.0
62.2
9.1
Netherlands
55.7
61.3
5.6
Russian Federation
36.3
60.7
24.4
India
50.9
60.3
9.4
France
51.4
59.1
7.7
South Korea
52.3
58.3
6.0
Japan
56.4
-0.7
China
44.7
50.3
Taiwan
48.1
42.9
-5.2
*Includes countries with a total Internet population of at least 10 million unique visitors in September 2008.
**Excludes traffic from public computers, such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones/PDAs.
“For Internet users in Brazil, social networking continues to flourish as a hugely popular activity,” said Alex Banks, managing director of Latin America for Comscore. “One likely reason for social networking’s success in Brazil is that its concept of online community closely aligns with the culture in Brazil, which is also centered on a strong sense of community and social activity.”
Social Networking Penetration High Throughout Latin AmericaIn addition to Brazil, social networking is a popular Internet pastime across much of Latin America. Nearly 9 out of 10 people in the region visited a social networking site in September 2008, up 9 percentage points from September 2007. While social networking among Latin American nations had the highest reach in Brazil, Comscore data show that Chile and Colombia were not far behind with 80 percent reach. Though Puerto Rico had the lowest penetration (71 percent) for the social networking category, it saw the largest gain versus year ago with a 10-percentage point increase.
Percent Reach for Social Networking Category in Latin AmericaSeptember 2008 vs. September 2007Total Latin America, Age 15+, Home and Work Locations*Source: Comscore World Metrix
Latin America
78.0
87.2
Chile
74.0
80.1
6.1
Colombia
69.9
79.6
9.7
Argentina
70.4
77.1
6.7
Venezuela
69.1
8.0
Puerto Rico
60.5
70.5
10.0
*Excludes traffic from public computers, such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones/PDAs.
Orkut is the Dominant Social Networking Site in Brazil
With 21 million unique visitors in September 2008, Google-owned Orkut was by far the most visited social network site in Brazil. Visitors spent an average of 496 minutes on the site during the month, with an average of 28 visits per visitor, ranking Orkut as the social networking site with the highest engagement also.
Visitation and Engagement for Selected Social Networking Sites in Brazil September 2008 Total Brazil, Age 15+, Home and Work LocationsSource: Comscore World Metrix
Selected Social Networking Sites
Total Unique Visitors (000)
Average Minutes per Visitor
Average Visits per Visitor
Total Internet : Total Audience
26,221
1,608.1
47.5
Orkut
20,752
496.1
28.3
Yahoo! Geocities
3,916
2.8
1.8
SONICO.COM
2,978
10.1
2.7
MINGLEBOX.COM
1,677
1.6
2.4
FOTOLOG.COM
1,606
22.1
5.3
8P.COM.BR
1,463
11.2
1.9
MULTIPLY.COM
1,189
4.4
1.5
HI5.COM
1,142
10.6
2.0
Lycos Tripod
1,115
1.4
MYSPACE.COM
893
13.2
2.3
LIMEALL.COM
387
0.6
1.7
DEVIANTART.COM
386
7.3
FACEBOOK.COM
360
14.2
*Comscore MMX monitors the online activities of individuals in Brazil within a universe defined as those aged 15+ who have accessed the Internet from either a home or a work computer in the past 30 days. It excludes traffic from public computers, such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones/PDAs. Since a significant number of consumers in Brazil access the Internet from outside this universe definition, Comscore has developed an Extended Universe for the online population in Brazil, which is computed differently from Comscore's Total Internet estimate. Comscore estimates Brazil's Extended Universe to be 56.2 million.
“With more than five times the number of unique visitors as any other social networking site in Brazil, Orkut has a commanding position in the marketplace,” said Banks. “The site is a particularly attractive venue for advertisers because it is able to deliver both a large and highly engaged audience.”
Webinar: The State of the Internet in Brazil
Alex Banks, Comscore’s managing director for Latin America, will present a strategic view of global Internet trends as well as specific insights into Internet usage in Brazil in an upcoming Portuguese-language webinar. The webinar will include an analysis of differences in Internet usage patterns across worldwide regions, insights into audience growth and changes in consumer demographics as well as a general overview of online behavior in Brazil.
To register for the free, Portuguese-language webinar being held on Wednesday, November 26 at 3 p.m. San Paulo time, please visit: www.comscore.com/brazil.
About ComscoreComscore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/boilerplate.