comScore Media Metrix Ranks Top 50 U.S. Web Properties for September 2009

Television’s New Fall Lineup Drives Traffic to TV Sites; Education and Computer Software Sites Gain as School Year Begins

RESTON, VA, October 16, 2009 – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released its monthly analysis of U.S. Web activity at the top online properties for September 2009 based on data from the comScore Media Metrix service. September marked the start of the fall television season as broadcast networks aired their season premieres, causing traffic to swell at TV sites.

Education – Information sites and Computer Software also gained as students sought resources for the new academic year, while the Sports category soared to record highs during the September stretch run in baseball and kickoff to football season.

“As summer fades and fall begins, Americans’ shift their focus back to school and take comfort in their TVs as season premieres and fall sports dominate the tube,” said Jack Flanagan, comScore executive vice president. “With nearly half of the U.S. online population visiting television sites in September, it is clear that more than ever before Americans are turning to the Web for entertainment."

Fall TV Lineup Draws Fans Online

The beginning of the fall season sent Americans to TV sites for information on their favorite shows or to view episodes online, as the category grew 17 percent to 95.6 million visitors. Yahoo! TV led the category with nearly 20 million visitors (up 63 percent), followed by AOL Television with 13 million (up 7 percent) and NBC Network with 11.4 million. CWTV grabbed the #10 position with 5.8 million visitors, nearly tripling its audience since August.

Students Kickoff the School Year Right

As students hit the books in September, they also looked to the Web for information and resources.

Education – Information sites and Computer Software sites both saw an increase in activity as classes resumed for students around the country. Education – Information sites grew 15 percent to 72.3 million visitors, making it one of the fastest growing categories in September, led by Pearson Education with nearly 17 million visitors (up 40 percent), Hot Chalk with 13 million visitors (up 64 percent), and Classes USA with 8 million visitors (up 13 percent).

The Computer Software category grew 14 percent, attracting 34.4 million visitors in September, led by Intuit, which grew 18 percent to 6.4 million visitors. Symantec Store followed closely with 6.2 million visitors (up 11 percent), while Wareseeker.com ranked third with 3.7 million visitors (up 76 percent).

Competition Heats Up for Sports Nationwide

Between the approaching Major League Baseball playoffs and the NFL season kickoff, sports were top of mind for many of Americans in September. The category reached an all-time high, attracting more than 98 million visitors, up 14 percent versus August. Yahoo! Sports ranked #1 with 38 million visitors during the month (up 32 percent), followed by ESPN with 29 million visitors (up 21 percent) and NFL Internet Group with 19 million visitors (up 19 percent).

Top 50 Properties

Google Sites ranked as the #1 property in September with 165 million visitors, followed by Yahoo! Sites with 160 million visitors and Microsoft Sites with 133 million visitors. Facebook.com held its #5 ranking with 95 million visitors, while ESPN climbed 9 spots to #30.

Top 50 Ad Focus Ranking

AOL Advertising led the September Ad Focus ranking reaching 91 percent of Americans online. Yahoo! Network ranked second, reaching 89 percent of the population, followed by Google Ad Network with an 86-percent reach.

Source: comScore, Inc.