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2006 Press Releases

Nintendo Wii Overtakes iPod as Must-Have Christmas Gift

December 13th

London, 13th December 2006, Analysis from Hitwise, the leading online competitive intelligence service, reveals that last week internet searches for the Nintendo Wii overtook searches for all other gaming consoles and even overtook the perennial favourite iPod to become the most searched-for gadget in the run-up to Christmas.

Discount Vouchers Cause Visits to Threshers and Selfridges Websites to Soar

December 5th

London, 5th December 2006, Analysis from Hitwise, the leading online competitive intelligence service, reveals that visits to the Threshers website surged eight-fold last week after a 40% discount offer resulted in a stampede by UK consumers.

Fastest Growing Bands Online in the Run-Up to Christmas

November 29th

London, 29th November 2006, Analysis from Hitwise, the leading online competitive intelligence service, reveals that old favourites Genesis, George Michael and The Beatles have joined Il Divo and Keane as the fastest growing bands online in the lead-up to Christmas.

Google and Yahoo! Post Gains in UK Search Market

November 14th

London, 14th November 2006, New data from Hitwise UK, the leading provider of online competitive intelligence, reveal that Google and Yahoo! Search’s share of the search market is growing and driving up the share of referrals from search engines to retail websites.

(Product) Red Boost from MySpace Promotion

October 18th

London, 18th October 2006, (Product) Red, part of the (RED) brand established to raise awareness and money to invest in African AIDS programmes, received an online boost through a promotion on MySpace last week.

Bebo Closes Gap with eBay as Most Searched-for Brand In the UK

October 4th

London, 4th October 2006, Bebo, the popular UK social networking site that is rivalling social networking giant MySpace in share of UK visits, looks set to overtake eBay as the most searched-for UK brand according to the latest analysis from Hitwise, the leader in online competitive intelligence.

Report Reveals Online Media is Effective for Raising Brand Awareness And Driving Brand Association

September 27th

London, September 27th 2006, Hitwise UK today published findings in a report The Hitwise Media Impact Report, measuring the impact of offline advertising on online consumer behaviour

Hitwise predicts visits to retail sites will grow 8% this Christmas.

September 27th

London, 27th September 2006, Hitwise UK, the leader in online competitive intelligence, today released its predictions for the 2006 Christmas retail season online based on 2 years of internet usage data of 8.43 million UK internet users.

YouTube Dominates Video Sharing Market with 60% Share

September 21st

London, 21st September 2006, This week saw two high profile announcements in the popular video-sharing space. YouTube and Warner Music announced a deal on Monday to air music videos and to allow some music to be included in uploaded videos in return for a share of ad revenue. MSN announced ...

Blogs for Mainstream Media, Political and Celebrity Gossip Prove Favourites Among UK Consumers

August 24th

London, 24th August 2006, Amidst the unmasking of the latest erotic blogger and the blog storm caused by a doctored photo on Reuters, Hitwise, the leading provider of online competitive intelligence, today reveals that the most popular blog websites are ...

Visits to News and Travel sites surge following suspected terrorist plot

August 10th

London, 10th August 2006, On the day that a suspected terrorist plot to blow up several aircrafts was foiled by British authorities, Hitwise today reports that UK holiday makers went on to news and travel sites in their droves to find out how

Bebo overtakes MySpace as most visited social networking site in the UK

August 8th

London, 8th August 2006, On the back of yesterday's announcement that News Corp.'s Fox Interactive Media has signed a multiyear deal to use Google search to direct traffic across its network of internet sites, including MySpace.com, Hitwise reveals that Bebo has just overtaken ..

Sport Relief Website Becomes Most Popular Humanitarian Site in UK

July 18th

London, 18th July 2006, Sport Relief, the fundraising initiative from Comic Relief and BBC Sport, saw its website become the most visited Humanitarian site in the UK in recent weeks ...

Visits To Travel Websites Soar As World Cup Draws To A Close.

July 12th

London, 12th July 2006, The latest analysis from Hitwise, the leading online competitive intelligence service, reveals that with the close of the World Cup, UK internet users are turning their attention to summer holidays and winter escapes.

Beckham's Hairstyle and Crouch's Robotic Dance Dominate UK Internet Searches as World Cup Kick-Off Approaches

June 8th

London, 8th June 2006, As the start of the World Cup approaches on Friday, UK internet searches are pinpointing the interests of a nation gripped by World Cup fever. UK internet users are not, however, as concerned with the England selection's football skills as much as their dance moves and hairstyles.

MSN and Yahoo! Search Tied for Second Place in the UK

June 6th

London, 6th June 2006, Reports on the search market typically focus on which search engine will grow to compete with Google. However in the UK, the battle is currently for second place, with Google far and away the favourite.

Bebo overtakes MySpace as most popular social networking site in the UK

May 30th

London, 30th May 2006, Following heightened press coverage since obtaining a $15 million injection of funding from venture fund Benchmark Capital Europe, Bebo has overtaken ...

Silver Surfers Favour Google, eBay UK and MSN Hotmail

May 23rd

London, 23rd May 2006, This week, Age Concern is hosting Silver Surfers week in the UK to provide computer and internet training for older people who want to experience the benefits of being digitally connected.

The Da Vinci Code Overtakes Perennial Favourite Harry Potter Online in Advance of the Film's Much-Hyped Release

May 18th

London, 18 May 2006, The latest analysis from Hitwise, the leading online competitive intelligence service, reveals that prior to the film's release on Friday, The Da Vinci Code has become the most ...

Cruise Websites a Favourite for Silver Surfers

May 9th

London, 9th May 2006, The latest analysis from Hitwise, the leader in online competitive intelligence, reveals that Travel - Cruises websites appeal to older, well-off segments of the UK population, more than any ...

Bebo challenges MySpace for most popular social networking site. UK Internet searches for "bebo" outstrip those for "myspace".

May 4th

London, 4th May 2006, With searches for "bebo" ranking third among all UK internet searches in the four weeks ending 29th April 2006, MySpace - which was acquired by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation last year for $580 million - may struggle to hold ...

Google powers three-quarters of UK searches

April 13th

London, 13th April 2006, New data from Hitwise UK, the leading online competitive intelligence service, reveals that Google powered 74.8% of all UK internet searches in the four weeks ending 1st April.

Hitwise announces the most popular websites from more than 50 categories.

April 5th

London, 5th April 2006, Hitwise, the leader in online competitive intelligence, today announced the most popular websites from more than 50 categories in the UK during 2005.

Arctic Monkeys most popular band online; visits to MySpace.com up 555%

January 31st

London, 31st January 2006, In the week that the Arctic Monkeys achieved the fastest-selling debut album of all time, Hitwise - the leader in online competitive intelligence reports that the band who originally found fame online continues to be as popular ...

Visits to travel sites up 15% year-on-year; Travel sites see a 30% increase in visits from search; Demand for ski holidays spikes

January 10th

London, 10th January 2006, Hitwise, the leader in online competitive intelligence, today reports that visits to travel websites reached 5.41% for the week ending 7th January 2006 a 15% increase compared with the same period in 2005.

Visits to retail sites in December up 14% year-on-year

January 5th

London, 5th January 2006, Hitwise, the leader in online competitive intelligence, today publishes its monthly data for visits to retail websites in the UK over the Christmas period.

Detox & GI Diets Prove Popular in UK, visits to Weight Watchers Website Double

January 4th

London, 4th January 2006, With the indulgence and revelry of the holidays behind us, UK consumers turned to the web for advice on dieting and fitness. Analysis from Hitwise, the leading online competitive intelligence service, reveals that visits to ...