PBS Winning Web-Ratings Race

PBS.org now claims a larger share of Web-site traffic than any of the commercial broadcast-network sites. That's according to online-traffic monitor Hitwise.

For the most recent week (ending June 21), PBS.org claimed 24.23% of the visits, compared with No. 2 ABC's 19.35%. NBC was third with 17.85%, followed by CBS with 17.69% and Fox with 17.32%.

That marks the fourth week in a row PBS has ranked No. 1. It finished the regular season in the No. 3 slot behind ABC and NBC, averaging 18.87% of the traffic. By contrast, ABC slipped from its 22.05% average to 19.35% in the most recent tally, while NBC is down from a 21.95% season average to 17.85%.

PBS attributed its improving fortunes to the addition of hundreds of hours of video and efforts to improve search-engine optimization.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.