PBS.ORG WEB SITE OVERTAKES BROADCAST NETWORKS’ WEB SITES IN POPULARITY OF U.S. VISITS

PBS.org Traffic Up 25 Percent Compared to 2006-2007 TV Season

ARLINGTON, VA., June 26, 2008 - Recent data from Internet measurement service Hitwise shows PBS.org receiving a larger percentage of U.S. visits than the six leading commercial broadcast network Web sites for the weeks ending May 31, June 7, 14 and 21 (details below*).

In addition, for the entire 2007-2008 television season, PBS.org was third among the six commercial broadcast network Web sites, receiving 18.87% of U.S. visits among the networks, (see source**), with visits to PBS.org up 25% compared to the 2006-2007 Season. (See "season to season comparison," below.)

"Much of this growth has been driven by enhancements to PBS.org's video offerings and by our focus on search engine optimization," Jason Seiken, Senior Vice President PBS Interactive, said. "We've added many hundreds of hours of full-length video to the site and will be accelerating that effort this fall with the launch of additional series and a huge new video offering for kids."

Hitwise Ranking by Visits Week ending 6/14/2008

Hitwise Ranking by Visits Week ending 6/7/2008

Hitwise Ranking by Visits Week ending 5/31/2008

Season to Season Comparison

 

Source:Hitwise

* Source: The rankings are based on the market share of U.S. visits, not viewing, among a custom category of commercial broadcast networks websites (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, The CW and MyNetwork) and PBS for the week ending May 31, June 7 and June 14, 2008 (Sunday - Saturday) from the Hitwise sample of 10 million U.S. Internet users. Includes traffic aggregated from standalone websites americanidol.com, amw.com, familyguy.com, cops.com, thelot.com and thesimpsons.com.

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PBS, with its 355 member stations, offers all Americans - from every walk of life - the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each week, PBS reaches more than 73 million people and invites them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; hear diverse viewpoints; and take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs have been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS' premier children's TV programming and Web site, pbskids.org, are parents' and teachers' most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet.

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"We expect to see another big bump this winter when we launch a major redesign of PBS.org and extend our video offerings to local PBS station Web sites across the country," Seiken said.

John Boland, PBS' Chief Content Officer, commented, "This achievement is further evidence that media technology has finally caught up with the mission of public broadcasting. PBS provides high quality content that informs, educates and entertains and for more than a decade we've built content-rich Web sites for nearly every program.

"In an on-demand, long-tail media world, our content has lasting value and a very long shelf life. Since much of our traffic comes through search, the PBS brand assures users of quality and reliability. By connecting with its millions of PBS enthusiasts on their own schedule, rather than via a singular broadcast schedule, PBS is entering a new golden era, with content people are accessing in a variety of ways, when and where they want."

 

Hitwise Ranking by Visits Week ending 6/21/2008