Category Displays Robust 35 Percent Growth versus Year Ago Amidst Uncertainty in the U.S. Economy
RESTON, VA, July 9, 2008 – Comscore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released an overview of activity at the financial news & research site category, which attracted more than 64 million U.S. visitors in May, an increase of 35 percent versus year ago.
“Current economic conditions – including rising gas prices, general inflation concerns, housing troubles and stock market uncertainty – have Americans seeking to stay informed about the factors influencing their personal finances,” said Jack Flanagan, Comscore executive vice president. “As a result, the financial news and research category has grown substantially during the past year, with strong visitor gains occurring at most sites, including above average gains at category leaders Yahoo! Finance and AOL Money & Finance.”
Top Financial News & Research SitesMay 2008 vs. May 2007Total U.S. - Home/Work/University LocationsSource: Comscore MMX
Total Unique Visitors (000)
May-07
May-08
% Change
Total Internet : Total Audience
177,487
190,858
8
Financial News & Research
47,493
64,287
35
Yahoo! Finance
11,740
18,492
58
AOL Money & Finance
10,266
15,222
48
MSN Money
12,087
13,707
13
Forbes Property
5,497
7,014
28
Dow Jones & Company
5,177
6,613
CNN Money
5,242
6,040
15
BNET
166
5,563
3,261
TheStreet.com Sites
1,749
5,289
202
Reuters Sites
3,286
4,795
46
Reed Business Information
2,436
3,872
59
Yahoo! Finance led the category in May with 18.5 million visitors, up 58 percent versus year ago, followed by AOL Money & Finance with 15.2 million visitors (up 48 percent) and MSN Money with 13.7 million visitors (up 13 percent). CNET-owned business site BNET, which ranked seventh in the category with 5.6 million visitors, grew more than 3,000 percent versus last year due to the acquisition of FindArticles.com, while eighth-ranked TheStreet.com Sites tripled to 5.3 million visitors, also due in part to site acquisitions.
Category Growth Varies by Demographic
Though the category displayed visitor growth across virtually all demographic segments, certain segments contributed more than others. The number of visitors to the category age 50 and older grew 46 percent versus year ago, while visitors under 50 grew by 32 percent. Above average growth was also seen in the following segments: households earning at least $60,000 annually (40 percent), households with children (38 percent) and households with at least 5 people (57 percent). In sum, segments displaying the greatest growth paint a picture of those likely to have more financial responsibilities or challenges, such as needing to save for college and/or retirement, or needing to determine how best to handle more immediate financial obligations, such as home mortgage holders facing rapidly escalating monthly payments.
Demographic Shifts in Financial News & Research CategoryMay 2008 vs. May 2007Total U.S. - Home/Work/University LocationsSource: Comscore MMX
Financial News & Research Category
Unique Visitors (000)
Percent Change
Total Audience
35%
Age
Persons Under 50
35,222
46,405
32%
Persons 50+
12,271
17,882
46%
HH Income (US)
Under $60K
20,233
26,155
29%
$60K+
27,260
38,132
40%
Children in Household
Children: No
20,216
26,745
Children: Yes
27,277
37,542
38%
Household Size
HH Size: 1-4 Persons
38,319
49,848
30%
HH Size: 5+ Persons
9,174
14,439
57%
About ComscoreComscore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/boilerplate.
PressBill DaddiDaddi Brand Communications646-370-1341press@comscore.com