Youku.com Attracts Most Viewers

Narrows Gap with Leading Portals in Terms of Time Viewers Spend on Site
  
    BEIJING, March 31 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Youku.com, China’s premier online video site, today announced that data released by the China Internet Society clearly underpins its leadership position in the Chinese online video sphere. According to a China Internet Society DCCI report released in March, over the past six months Youku has increased market reach measured in terms of Internet users visiting the site as a proportion of all Internet users (34.8 percent, as of January, 2008), and registered an increase in the time viewers spent on its site -- now averaging over 3 hours per month -- and surpassing top competitors by 72 percent, while also narrowing the gap with established Internet portals. 
    The data were culled from a semi-annual survey conducted in January 2008, and solidify Youku’s already strong brand position as an established online video site. 
    More importantly, it elevates the site as a serious player in the Chinese Internet market. The results speak to Youku’s popularity with Chinese netizens as well as reflect a certain degree of user loyalty.  Over one third of all Chinese Internet users now totaling approximately 210 million has visited Youku.com in January 2008.
    Earlier on this month, iResearch, a leading online research company in China, ranked Youku highest among China online video sites based on criteria such as user traffic, product offerings, capital investment and operational capabilities.
    "The China Internet Society DCCI report is further proof that online video is now a mainstream application for the Chinese Internet population.  As the market matures, we believe it will become increasingly important for online video sites to differentiate themselves in this space in order to grow market share," commented Victor Koo, CEO of Youku.com.  
    "The latest data are yet another milestone in our efforts to build a leading trusted brand for Chinese netizens, Youku’s business partners, and global advertisers.  We strive to provide an efficient online video platform valued by viewers for its attractive, healthy content and its ability to connect audiences in meaningful ways," added Koo.
    Compared to other Internet portals that have established themselves in the course of several years, Youku has built an impressive track record in terms of growth and performance since its launch in December 2006. 

    January 2008 Report -- DCCI Netmonitor Data of the Internet Society of China:


    Chinese Online Video Sites vs. Established Chinese Internet Portals

                     Monthly  Time Spent on   Number of Visits  Page View per
                       Reach  Site per Month     per Month       Visitor per
                         (%)     (hours)                            Month     
                                                                   (Pages)   
    Established Chinese         
     Internet Portals                                                            
     (Average / Top 4) 70.7%        3.1             21.9            221.9       
    Online Video Sites   
     (Average / Top 4) 30.7%        1.8              6.1             26.4      

    Youku.com          34.8%          3              8.4             39.7 
                                          DCCI Netmonitor Data, January 2008 
    Copyright@DCCI 2008   http://www.dcci.com.cn   DCCI China Internet Society  

    About Youku.com
    Youku.com ( http://www.YOUKU.com ) is a leading video sharing website and premier online video brand in China.  It is one of the top destinations for people to watch and share short-form videos in Greater China.  Youku was founded by Victor Koo, former President of Sohu.com, a leading Internet portal in China. Youku.com is the fastest growing online video site in China since its official launch in December 2006.  It features the fastest video streaming speed, fastest video upload response and search for Internet users in China. Youku.com was named as "Red Herring 100 Asia" award winner for 2007, ranked #1 in the video sharing category according to the China Internet Society survey in July, 2007 and again in January, 2008, and ranked top among new media websites based on response speed, service reliability and consistency, according to a 2008 Gomez Research survey.

    About DCCI
    The Data Center of the China Internet (DCCI) is an independent third-party market monitoring and audience measurement platform as well as professional data gathering and research data organization serving China’s Internet industry. DCCI is committed to providing real-time and accurate monitoring, measurement, statistics, analysis, research and forecasting to both the industry as well as its consumers. Professional researchers, through the application of advanced technology, use both online and offline channels to carry out the necessary work. The Internet Society of China (ISC) has commissioned DCCI to conduct the research. ISC is jointly set up by network operators, service providers, equipment manufacturers, system integrators as well as more than 70 science and research institutions and educational organizations engaged in various activities related to the Internet. ISC has more than 200 members and its oversight organization is the Ministry of Information Industry. 



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