14 DAY TRIAL // Internet researcher Nielsen//NetRatings has revealed that YouTube is the fastest growing brand in the United Kingdom in 2006. With an audience of 3,585,000 unique visitors, YouTube has expanded by 478%. "The biggest web success stories of the year so far concern user-generated content and confirm Web 2.0 as the new phenomenon in the online world. The three fastest growing online brands in the UK highlight how generating and sharing content is this year's online theme. YouTube, Flickr and MySpace all focus on technologies that allow users to define the content that their peers are looking at online. Factor in Photobucket, the photo and video sharing website, and social network Bebo and half of the ten fastest growing brands fall under the "Web 2.0" umbrella," stated Nielsen//NetRatings.
Flickr has increased by 131% with a unique audience of 1,008,000 and has rounded up the second place. The third place is occupied by MySpace with 3,502,000 visitors and a growth of 98%. American Express, Photobucket, Mozilla, Vodafone, Bebo and Odeon have all experienced growths of over 80% in 2006.
"Last year indicated the potential for sites utilising the Internet as a method for users to communicate and share information and the first half of 2006 has confirmed this. The idea of the user in charge through these so called "Web 2.0" technologies is now a reality. The audience to video sharing phenomenon YouTube is testament to this, having grown by a factor of almost five during the year, meaning that more than one in eight Britons online now visit this site," commented Alex Burmaster, European Internet Analyst.