Nielsen/NetRatings To Measure Canadian Internet Use

Nielsen Media
Research and NetRatings Wednesday announced plans to begin Internet
audience measurement in Canada.

The Canadian research panel recruitment is scheduled to begin immediately
with plans to release data by the end of the second quarter. Initially data
will be gathered from a 5,000-person panel, with plans to double the panel
size to 10,000 persons by the end of this year.

By the end of 2001, Nielsen//NetRatings plans to be providing data on
Internet use and advertising in more than 30 countries, representing more
than 90 percent of the world’s Internet users.

“Nielsen//NetRatings’ unique capabilities to track Internet advertising
activity will help advertisers and their agencies, Web-property owners and
service providers, investment analysts, and others use the Internet more
effectively and understand the growth dynamics in the Canadian
marketplace,” said David Tattle, President of Nielsen Media Research
Canada.

Nielsen Media Research has conducted surveys of Internet use in North
America since 1995, in conjunction with CommerceNet, an industry association
of more than 600 companies formed to promote Internet commerce.

The most recent study, in April 1999, showed that nearly half the adult
Canadian population had used the Internet. Twenty percent of the adult
population had used it in the past 24 hours. The survey also showed that
nearly 20 percent of Canadian users bought products and services online, a
rate that was double what it was 18 months earlier.

NetRatings provides Internet audience measurement and analysis services. The
company has strategic relationships with Nielsen Media Research and
ACNielsen.

The Nielsen/NetRatings service provides data on Internet use and
advertising, including the number, frequency and duration of visits to
specific sites, detailed data on exposure to ad banners, streaming media
usage, and user profiles by age, gender, education, occupation, and income.