June 26 2007

Entertainment more popular online than shopping

The numbers of visitors to entertainment sites online is greater than visitors to shopping and classifieds for the first time ever, according to competitive intelligence service Hitwise. The Hitwise Shopping & Classifieds category had been the third most popular category based on UK visits until early June, when Entertainment claimed the position.

Visits to Shopping & Classifieds websites were down 5% year-on-year in May. Whilst the category as a whole has declined, several retail sub-categories have seen strong growth. In particular, visits to Classifieds websites were up 29% year-on-year in May, fuelled in part by Gumtree, which, during the week to 16 June, accounted for one-fifth of category visits, up 69% year-on-year in May.

UK visits to Apparel and Accessories websites were up 11% year-on-year in May, as consumers increasingly turn to the internet for fashion purchases.

Entertainment, however, is among the fastest growing categories online - visits were up 12% year-on-year in May. The fastest growing sub-categories within Entertainment are Multimedia and Photography.

The Multimedia category is dominated by the popular, video sharing website YouTube, which accounted for 47% of category visits (in the week to 16 June). YouTube's UK visits have risen more than seven-fold year-on-year in May 2007 and ranks second among Entertainment websites, behind www.bbc.co.uk.

The gap between YouTube and the BBC is closing fast - bbc.co.uk has a 1.6% lead on YouTube in share of UK visits, down from 37% three months ago and 131% six months ago.

Emma Herrod