US Internet Universe Expands 23% In 1999

The total internet universe in the US increased from 97 million to 119 million US-based users during 1999, an increase of 22.7%. This is the finding of internet measurement service, Nielsen//NetRatings, which has published a report on the state of the internet market in 1999.

Average time spent online also rose significantly during the period February-December 1999: users spent an average 8 hours 17 minutes, an increase of almost 11%. People also became more specific in their surfing habits with the number of unique sites visited per month in the beginning of the year decreasing by 40% from 15 to 9 sites in December. The number of page impressions however increased during the same period by 68%.

Allen Weiner, vice president of analytical services for NetRatings said: “As people become more familiar with the web, we’re finding that people prefer to visit a smaller set of specific sites. They tend to spend more time on fewer sites, but view more pages, suggesting that larger sites are becoming broader and deeper.”

The gender gap is showing signs of leveling out, with the audience profile now standing at 50:50, compared to 53:47 in favour of men last year. Men still tend to spend more time online than women and enjoy different types of sites. Weiner explained: “As the gender gap closes, we still continue to see men and women differ in their use of the web. Men tend to flock to news and information sites while women gravitate toward sites that provide topics related to health and well-being, with an accent on efficient use.”

Advertising impressions also made large increases during 1999. Yahoo, the largest advertising domain on the web delivered ad impressions to more than 42% of the active internet users in December, as compared to 39% reach in September. The run-up to Christmas saw the largest monthly increase, with ad impressions increasing by 63%.

www.nielsen-netratings.com