French Language Interface Introduction Helps Facebook Surge into Top Position
LONDON, U.K., February 17, 2009 –Comscore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released the results of a study of social networking site usage in Europe, with a particular focus on France, based on data from the Comscore World Metrix audience measurement service. The study showed that 22 million French Internet users visited at least one social networking site in December 2008, reaching 64 percent of the total French Internet audience.
Social Networking Attracts Three Quarters of European Internet Users
Of the 282.7 million European Internet users age 15 and older who went online via a home or work computer in December 2008, 211 million visited a social networking site – representing a penetration of 74.6 percent. Of the 16 individual European countries included in the study, social networking reach was relatively low in France, at 63.9 percent, compared with 79.8 percent in the U.K. or 73.7 percent in Spain. Despite its relatively low penetration, France’s social networking audience (21.7 million visitors in December) was the third largest in Europe behind the U.K. (29.3 million visitors) and Germany (24.9 million visitors).
European Social Networking Reach by CountryTotal Europe, Age 15+ - Home & Work Locations*December 2008Source: Comscore World Metrix
Country
Total Unique Visitors (000) to Social Networking Category
% Reach of Country’s Total Internet Audience
Europe
210,950
74.6
United Kingdom
29,263
79.8
Spain
13,185
73.7
Portugal
2,705
72.9
Denmark
2,390
69.7
Italy
14,408
69.3
Belgium
3,668
68.2
Germany
24,901
67.3
Ireland
1,131
66.9
Finland
2,061
66.2
Sweden
3,733
65.4
Switzerland
2,804
64.7
France
21,745
63.9
Russia
18,427
63.5
Netherlands
7,438
63.0
Norway
1,732
58.9
Austria
2,120
49.7
* Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.
Facebook Now the Most Popular Social Networking Site in France
More than 21.7 million French Internet users visited a social networking site in December 2008, up 45 percent versus the previous year. Facebook.com ranked as the most popular social networking site with 12 million visitors, growing 443 percent over the course of the past year after launching a French language user interface in February. Skyrock ranked second with 11 million visitors (up 8 percent), followed by another French site, L’internaute Copains d’Avant, which enjoyed impressive 112 percent growth throughout the year to reach 5.8 million visitors in December. MySpace Sites (3 million visitors) and Flickr.com (1.8 million visitors) rounded out the top five.
A Selection of Leading Social Networking SitesRanked by Total French Unique Visitors (000)*Total France, Age 15+ - Home & Work LocationsDecember 2008 vs. December 2007Source: Comscore World Metrix
Property
Dec-2007
Dec-2008
% Change
Total French Internet Audience
28,729
34,010
18%
Social Networking
14,984
45%
Facebook.com
2,211
11,996
443%
Skyrock
10,221
11,042
8%
Linternaute Copains d Avant
2,709
5,753
112%
MySpace Sites
2,597
2,994
15%
Flickr.com
824
1,809
120%
Trombi.com
1,144
1,456
27%
Hi5.com
528
980
86%
Netlog.com
738
920
25%
Viadeo
334
904
171%
Badoo.com
563
733
30%
“2008 was a significant year for social networking in France,” said Mike Read, SVP and Managing Director of Comscore, Europe. “Not only was it a year that saw significant growth, but it was also a period in which Facebook took the category by storm after translating its interface into French early in the year. It will be interesting to see what happens in 2009 as Facebook and native social network, Skyrock, battle for the top position in the French market.”
Comscore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/boilerplate
Ayaan MohamudComscore, Inc.+ 44 (0) 207-099-1775worldpress@comscore.com