Social Networking Has Banner Year in France, Growing 45 Percent

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 Country
Total Europe, Age 15+ - Home & Work Locations*
December 2008
Source: 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 Sites
Ranked by Total French Unique Visitors (000)*
Total France, Age 15+ - Home & Work Locations
December 2008 vs. December 2007
Source: Comscore World Metrix

Property

Dec-2007

Dec-2008

% Change

Total French Internet Audience

28,729

34,010

18%

Social Networking

14,984

21,745

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%

* Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

“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 Mohamud
Comscore, Inc.
+ 44 (0) 207-099-1775
worldpress@comscore.com



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