Nielsen and Beijing Zhongqian Wangrun Information Technology, operator of internet firm ChinaRank, which creates and publishes website rankings in China, have launched CR-Nielsen. The joint venture will focus on reporting statistics of China’s internet usage, industry growth and website traffic.
According to Nielsen, bolstering its ability to report on China is integral because the country is emerging as an internet powerhouse.
“With more than 250 million internet users, China represents a significant opportunity for our clients, and there has been a loud call to support this expanding market with high-quality, independent online measurement services,” said Itzhak Fisher, executive chairman of Nielsen Online.
Among the joint venture’s first releases is a list of China’s most popular sites, which is topped by Baidu, Tencent, Sina, Google China and Sohu.
According to CR-Nielsen's report, Baidu is the nation's most popular site, drawing 171 million unique users between September 8 and 14, more than double the traffic of fourth-place Google China’s 81 million unique browsers.
Tencent, host of QQ portal, gaming and instant messenger sites, pulled 117 million users in the same period, 9 million more than portal Sina. Both Tencent and Sina outpaced rival Sohu, which ranked fifth on Nielsen's list with 74 million users.
Tudou also made an appearance on the list with 38 million users, earning it the fourteenth most popular site in the country following its recent issuance of a video broadcast licence from China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. However, it trailed competitor Youku by nine million users and five places.
