Nielsen//NetRatings Launches Global Olympics Index
 
 NBCOlympics.com Rises 41 Percent in Traffic in the U.S.

NEW YORK, September 13, 2000 – Nielsen//NetRatings, the Internet audience measurement service from Nielsen Media Research, ACNielsen eRatings.com and NetRatings, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTRT), today announced the launch of the first comprehensive global monitor of Internet traffic to Web sites covering the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The Nielsen//NetRatings Olympics Index will provide extensive reports of Internet traffic to key Olympics sites across 14 countries covering North America, Asia Pacific and Europe.

“The Web and its immediacy will be a valuable resource for people to quickly find out the latest results and news from Sydney. We will likely see spikes in traffic and usage as Web users log on first thing in the morning across the U.S.,” said Allen Weiner, vice president of analytical services at NetRatings, Inc. “Given the logistics of the Sydney Games, most people will not wait until the evening programming to find out the scores, although they still will watch the games in the evening to witness the sheer thrill of a drama unfolding.”

Nielsen//NetRatings data reveals U.S.-based Web traffic is already surging to key Olympics sites. NBCOlympics.com vaulted 41 percent in home traffic from July to August, increasing to 236,000 unique visitors. Female surfers dominated the site. Nearly 63 percent of those visiting the site were female, while males made up 37 percent of its traffic.

"As a prelude to the Games, Nielsen//NetRatings data indicates a strong interest from women in the Olympics sites,” said Weiner. “As the clock winds down to Friday’s opening, the excitement of team tryouts and the human element of the Games is especially appealing to female Web users."

The official Web site Olympics.com jumped 51 percent in the U.S., rising to 184,000 unique home visitors from July to August.  Females comprised 54 percent of its traffic, and males made up 46 percent. In Australia, interest has also spiked. The number of unique visitors heading to Olympics.com has grown from 36,000 in May to almost 200,000 in August and page views have soared from 440,000 to over 4.4 million.

“This year’s Olympics is a multidimensional media event, with the Internet adding its twist in how people receive news and information,” said Weiner. “There will be a battle between traditional news outlets such as newspapers and broadcast outlets against new media and portals for the ‘Olympic eyeball.’ Traditionalists who have multiple channels to reach consumers, providing offline and online contact and different means to promote and market, are poised to be most effective.”

The Nielsen//NetRatings Olympics Index
The Nielsen//NetRatings Olympics Index will provide analysis of global Web traffic to the official Olympics site, plus details on Internet activity at related sites, including major broadcasters, sports portals, publications, Olympic sponsors and regional and international news sites. The index will begin reporting Web traffic from the opening ceremony this Friday until after the close of the Olympics in early October.

The index will report on the Internet activity of more than 165,000 panelists across more than 100 key sites in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Japan, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Singapore, UK and the USA.

About Nielsen//NetRatings
Nielsen//NetRatings, the Internet audience measurement service from Nielsen Media Research and NetRatings, Inc., collects real-time data from more than 65,000 panel members in the United States. The U.S. panel sample consists of 57,000 at-home users and 8,000 at-work users.  These panels collectively represent the largest representative media research sample of Internet users in the industry.  Worldwide, Nielsen//NetRatings services are provided via a partnership with ACNielsen eRatings.com, a venture between ACNielsen (NYSE: ART) and NetRatings, Inc., and measure the Internet experiences of more than 165,000 Internet users.
 

Nielsen//NetRatings services use unique technology capable of measuring both Internet use and advertising to provide the most timely, accurate and comprehensive Internet usage data and advertising information in the global marketplace.  Nielsen//NetRatings services leverage proprietary data-collection technology from NetRatings, Nielsen Media Research's 50 years of expertise in research and audience measurement, and ACNielsen’s international leadership in supplying market research information covering more than 100 countries.

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