Research: Social networking use in Europe
- Added:
- Feb 18, 2009
Internet research firm comScore has released a study of social networking site usage in Europe, with a particular focus on France.
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).
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European Social Networking Reach by Country Total Europe, Age 15+ - Home & Work Locations* December 2008 Source: comScore World Metrix |
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|
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.
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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 |
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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.”
Source: www.comscore.com
