YouTube named fastest growing online brand - Digital Bulletin - Digital news by Email - Brand Republic

YouTube named fastest growing online brand - Digital Bulletin - Digital news by Email - Brand Republic: YouTube named fastest growing online brand
by Joe Lepper Brand Republic 14 Sep 2006

YouTube: fastest growing site
LONDON - Social networking and video site YouTube is the runaway leader among the fastest growing online brands in the UK followed by Flickr and MySpace, according to latest research by Nielsen/NetRatings.

The results based on unique audience growth for the first six months of the year show that YouTube is the fastest growing website with a 478% increase in unique users.

In second place is photo sharing site Flickr with 131% growth, followed by MySpace with a 98% growth in third. British social network rival Bebo was placed in eighth place.

Despite the dominance of videosharing other sectors, particularly financial services and telecoms are also doing well. The fourth-fastest growing site is American Express with 97% growth and in seventh is Vodafone with 86% growth.

Alex Burmaster, Nielsen//NetRatings European internet analyst, said: "Last year indicated the potential for sites utilising the internet as a method for users to communicate and share information and the first half of 2006 has confirmed this.

"The audience to video sharing phenomenon YouTube is testament to this, having grown by a factor of almost five during the year, meaning that more than one in eight Britons online now visit this site."

Latest figures from Neilsen//NetRatings also show the top online brands in terms of female users, with ninth fastest growing online brand the cinema chain Odeon taking top spot, with 59% of its audience women.

In second place is Bebo, third is Vodafone and fourth MySpace while You Tube is eighth with a female audience of 36%.

Top 10 growth brands
1. YouTube 478%
2. Flickr 131%
3. MySpace 98%
4. American Express 97%
5. Photobucket 91%
6. Mozilla 91%
7. Vodafone 86%
8. Bebo 85%
9. Odeon 82%
10. B&Q 72%