New York, June 1, 2006 – Hitwise, the leading online competitive intelligence service, reports that NBC.com led the four major broadcast networks in market share of US Internet visits for the four weeks ending May 27, 2006. In that period, NBC.com claimed 43 percent of visits to the four major network sites, and visits to NBC.com were up 100 percent compared to a year ago (four weeks ending May 28, 2005).

According to Hitwise Search Intelligence data, 30 percent of search traffic to NBC.com for the four weeks ending May 27, 2006 was related to the show ‘Deal or No Deal,’ indicating that the popular game show’s online component has been a hit with web users, and may be partly responsible for the traffic increase to NBC.com.

Visits to ABC.com were up 8 percent for the four weeks ending May 27, 2006 compared to the same four weeks last year, and accounted for 27 percent of visits to the broadcast network sites. CBS.com and FOX.com followed with 21 percent and 9 percent respective share of visits.

STREAMING SHOWS

In early May, ABC.com began streaming episodes of selected shows for free. The market share of visits to ABC.com increased by 25 percent when comparing the week ending April 29, 2006 and the week ending May 27, 2006. ABC.com’s Full Episode Streaming site was responsible for 14.4 percent of the traffic leaving ABC.com during the week ending May 27, 2006. During the month of May, visits to ABC.com Full Episode Streaming peaked on Thursdays, the day after the airing of Lost, which indicates it may be the most popular show for viewing online. There were smaller spikes on Mondays, indicating viewing of Desperate Housewives, which airs on Sundays.

“Compelling Internet calls-to-action, such as online contests and streaming content, are clearly what’s necessary for the networks to convert television viewers into Internet visitors,” said Bill Tancer GM of Global Research for Hitwise.  “As we approach the fall season, expect the networks to further leverage the power of multi-channel engagement.”

AMERICAN IDOL TOPS SHOW SEARCHES IN FINAL WEEK

According to Hitwise Search Intelligence, Fox’s ‘American Idol’ was the most searched-for television show for the week ending May 27, 2006. Other shows that followed were ABC’s ‘LOST,’ NBC’s ‘Deal or No Deal’ and ‘Days of Our Lives’ and Fox’s ‘The O.C.’ The market share of visits to Fox’s stand alone American Idol website eclipsed visits to NBC.com the final week of the show, increasing 34 percent for the week ending May 27, 2006 versus the week ending May 20, 2006.

Contact:

For media inquiries or to schedule an analyst interview, please contact Matt Tatham: matt.tatham@hitwise.com; (212) 380 2939.

About Hitwise:

Hitwise is the leading online competitive intelligence service. Each day, Hitwise monitors how more than 25 million Internet users interact with over 500,000 websites across 160 industry categories.

By monitoring more people, more websites, more often, Hitwise provides marketers with timely and actionable marketing insights on how their online presence compares to competitive websites.  Companies use this information to maximize the return on their online investment, in efforts such as affiliate programs, search marketing, online advertising, content development and lead generation.

Hitwise collects Internet usage information via a combination of ISP data partnerships and opt-in panels, and complies with local and international privacy legislation as audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Founded in 1997, Hitwise is a privately held company, headquartered in New York City and operates in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore. 

More information about the Hitwise Competitive Intelligence service is available at www.hitwise.com.

For up to date analysis on online trends, please visit the Hitwise Intelligence-Analyst Weblogs at weblogs.hitwise.com.