What are the top ten fastest growing sites online? And which of those are pulling in the most dough? comScore’s new “2008 Digital Year in Review” reveals which sites are succeeding, even in a difficult economic environment.
Breakmedia, whose sites cater to men between the ages of 18-24, saw 279% growth in 2008, by far the largest growth of the sites comScore lists. Glam Media which calls itself the “#1 women’s web property” (with sites such as Daily Olive and Chubby Hubby) witnessed 144% growth. The numbers are impressive, however, comScore notes both these sites achieved growth through acquisitions and partnerships.
A few other topline takeaways (we read the report so you don’t have to):
-Of the top online display publishers, Yahoo and Fox Interactive Meida are leading the pack, with AOL and Facebook following.
–Top online display advertisers included AT&T, Microsoft Sites, Sprint Nextel, and Netflix. (See AllThingsD’s note about who else is advertising, and who is Not.
–Fastest growing retail categories online are Video Games, Consoles and Accessories, Home, Garden, and Furniture, Sport and Fitness, and Event Tickets.
–Online video trends indicate a shift away from short-form UGC content to more professional, longer form content such as TV episodes and movies; Hulu alone is responsible for a 57% increase in video viewership online
–Comcast calls 2008 the “year of the smartphone,” underscoring a 34% rise in mobile-based browsing
–Major advertisers, seeking more measurable advertising ROI are shifting budgets to online channels; but advertisers now demanding greater accountability. Comcast suggests publishers “will need to demonstrate that the view-through impact (as opposed to click-through) is a critical component of this ROI equation if they hope to obtain fair value for their ad inventory.”
