SOCIAL NETWORKS > FastStats: Social Network War

The battle for the scalding-hot social networking space shows no sign of slowing down, and segment leader MySpace is continually beset by challengers, notably Bebo. According to Nielsen//NetRatings, MySpace and Bebo, respectively, are the fifth- and sixth-biggest brands online in terms of total web page views. During the month of April, MySpace had 2.84 million visitors, 680,000 more than Bebo. Since News Corp. purchased the site in July 2005, MySpace’s audience has grown 295 percent (see Murdoch Buys Intermix: $580M). Over the same time period, Bebo has seen a 162 percent jump in traffic. While MySpace remains the leading social networking site, its users also visit competing sites, and vice versa. According to NetRatings, 698,000 people visited both sites in April. Some 33 percent of Bebo users visit MySpace, while 25 percent of MySpace users visit Bebo. Crossover aside, each of the two sites is increasingly serving different types of users. Sixty-nine percent of MySpace’s audience is 18 or older. A majority of Bebo users (54 percent) are under 18. Both Bebo and MySpace have more than 1.2 million female users, but Bebo’s smaller size means a greater percentage of its users are women. Among social networking sites, Bebo reports the highest number of page views (429) and the greatest amount of time spent online (1 hour 52 minutes) per user each month. Bebo may see some success differentiating itself from MySpace, but competitors continue to make the market dynamic and uncertain (see The MySpace Wannabes).

SOURCE: Nielsen//NetRatings