XtraMSN will become the heavyweight player in
New Zealand, says Nielsen//NetRatings
Auckland: 11 May 2001 – News that Telecom’s xtra.co.nz portal is to combine with Microsoft’s msn.com portal heralds a
new super-heavyweight in the New Zealand internet space, according to Nielsen//NetRatings.
Nielsen//NetRatings, the world's fastest growing Internet audience measurement service, is produced by ACNielsen
eRatings.com (a venture between ACNielsen Corp., NYSE:ART and NetRatings, Inc., Nasdaq: NTRT), Nielsen Media Research
and NetRatings, Inc.
“Xtra has crafted a globally unique position in that it is a local content site which consistently rates in the top two
domains visited by its local audience,” says Brian Milnes, ACNielsen eRatings.com Managing Director Pacific. “Such
prominence has been achieved nowhere else in the world.”
“Around the world, the most frequently visited sites are portals which have wrapped their arms around an enormous amount
of content and services to become the heavyweights in their local market.
“Our April data shows that msn.co.nz was the top domain for New Zealand at home surfers with a unique audience of
500,000 kiwis,” adds Milnes. “Xtra.co.nz was second with some 365,000 unique users. When we combined the unique users of
both sites, we found an unduplicated audience of some 666,000 unique users – that is, individual users who visit either
msn.com or xtra.co.nz or both. We would expect the amalgamation of these two leaders to create a powerful force in the
local market with clear daylight between it and the next most popular site.”
About Nielsen//NetRatings
Through strategic partnerships between NetRatings, Nielsen Media Research and ACNielsen, the Nielsen//NetRatings
audience measurement service collects real-time data from more than 220,000 individuals with access to the Internet
around the world. The U.S. panel sample currently consists of 62,000 individuals with Internet access at home and 8,000
individuals with Internet access at work. International panels are under development with over 150,000 individuals with
access at home currently being measured in 21 countries, representing over 88% of global Internet browser activity.
These panels collectively represent the largest research sample of Internet users in the industry.
Nielsen//NetRatings uses unique technology capable of measuring both Internet use and advertising to provide the most
timely, accurate and comprehensive Internet usage data and advertising information in the global marketplace.
Nielsen//NetRatings tracks the entire spectrum of Internet user behaviour, leveraging proprietary data-collection
technology from NetRatings, Nielsen Media Research's 50 years of expertise in research and audience measurement, and
ACNielsen’s international leadership in offering market research information covering more than 100 countries. For more
information, please visit www.nielsen-netratings.com.
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