Five out of six US Internet users checked the news in April 2012, a growth of 12%? over March. Their second priority: Fashion/Beauty/Style, with 9% growth. Those figures [pdf] according to comScore, which has released its monthly analysis of US web activity at the top online properties based on data from its comScore Media Metrix service.
“The General News category reached an all-time high in April, reaching nearly 5 out of every 6 US Internet users during the month,” said Jeff Hackett, executive vice president of comScore. “Beauty and Style sites also surged in popularity as Americans checked out the latest spring fashions and style ideas.”
April Bears Good News for General News Sites
The General News sub-category grew 12% in April to 183 million visitors, representing an all-time high for the category, with Yahoo!-ABC News Network ranking #1 at 89.1 million visitors. HPMG News ranked second with 59.4 million visitors, followed by CNN Network with 57.4 million, MSNBC Network with 55.7 million, CBS News with 39.3 million and USAToday Sites with 34.1 million.
Spring Fashion Hits the Web Runway
Millions of Americans took time to browse spring fashion trends and shop online in April Beauty/Fashion/Style sites grew 9% in the month to 83.6 million visitors, with Glam Style ranking first in the category with 13.2 million visitors (up 9%). Stylelist Sites drew 9.9 million visitors (up 15%), followed by Hearst Beauty & Fashion Network with 5.2 million, PopSugar Fashion Beauty & Shopping with 4.7 million and Total Beauty Media with 4.7 million.
Top 50 Properties
Google Sites ranked as the #1 property in April with 189 million visitors, followed by Microsoft Sites with 171.2 million, Yahoo! Sites with 170.9 million and Facebook.com with 158.7 million. Glam Media climbed 3 spots to #9 in the ranking, while Tumblr.com earned a spot on the chart for the first time at #47 with 23.5 million visitors.
Top 50 Ad Focus Ranking
Google Ad Network led the April Ad Focus ranking with a reach of 92.2% of Americans online, followed by Rubicon Project REVV Platform (88.0%), AOL Advertising (83.7%), Google (82.5%) and AT&T AdWorks (81.1%).
