Nielsen: Virtual Worlds Lead for UK Kids
According to a recent Nielsen study of 40,000 British Internet users looking at top sites in specific age segments, virtual worlds lead for the under-12 demographic. Stardoll leads withs with 32% of UK unique audience under 12, followed by Club Penguin at 29%, and Nickelodeon at 25%. While Nick.com features a variety of activities, including casual games, Nickelodeon's Neopets and Nicktropolis have been regularly cited by the company itself as leaders for engagement. The trend carries throughout the top 10 sites as well (graph provided by Nielsen), with a strong emphasis on avatars and virtual worlds as well as casual games and general entertainment. For the teens and older groups, though, attention shifts away to focus on social networks and chat sites and then service- and video-oriented sites.
“The Internet is very much an entertainment resource for young children, mainly due to how well TV broadcasters such as Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, the BBC and Disney have adapted and extended their traditional offering to the Web," Alex Burmaster, Internet Analyst, Nielsen Online, said in a statement. [PDF of study results]
Tootsville is gaining ground in the UK. More children in the UK logged into this virtual world than anywhere else.
Posted by: Jolo | October 20, 2008 at 07:29 AM