MSNBC.com Leads in Online News with 9.9 Million Unique Users

MSNBC.com continued its reign as the leading online news site in August 2000, maintaining a significant lead over its competitors in the combined Home/Work audience. According to Media Metrix and Nielsen/NetRatings, MSNBC.com drew 9.9 million unique users in August, solidifying its position as the primary source for news on the Internet. This achievement marks the seventh consecutive month MSNBC.com has been the leader in the General News category, outperforming CNN.com and other prominent news sites.

Key Takeaways:

MSNBC.com maintained its position as the No. 1 stand-alone news site for August 2000, with 9.9 million unique users, according to Media Metrix data.
The site's traffic data solidified its standing as the primary source for news on the Internet, with a significant lead over the competition in the combined Home/Work audience.
MSNBC.com led the General News category with 9.9 million unique users in August, ahead of CNN.com, which drew 7.4 million users, according to Media Metrix.
John Nicol, general manager of MSNBC.com, credited the site's success to its commitment to "first-rate journalism, multimedia storytelling, and interactive engagement."
MSNBC.com's market share held at 12.9% of the World Wide Web reach in August, with CNN.com trailing behind at 9.4%.

Statistics:

9.9 million: Unique users of MSNBC.com in August 2000, according to Media Metrix.
10.6 million: Home/Work users on MSNBC.com, ahead of CNN.com, according to Nielsen/NetRatings.
12.9%: MSNBC.com's market share of the World Wide Web reach in August.
3.5 points: Margin by which MSNBC.com leads the closest competitor, CNN.com, in the World Wide Web reach.
7.4 million: Unique users of CNN.com in August 2000, according to Media Metrix.

Sources:

Business Editors NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SEPT. 25, 2000 MSNBC.com (www.msnbc.com)
Media Metrix and Nielsen/NetRatings: August 2000 traffic data
John Nicol, General Manager, MSNBC.com: Statement on MSNBC.com's success