Social networking is one-third of time online in Malaysia: comScore

The report found that social networking accounted for one third of all time spent online in Malaysia in August 2011, ranking as the top online activity for the market.

It also found that online video viewing continues to grow in Malaysia with the viewing audience climbing 8 per cent in the past year, while average viewing minutes increased 19 per cent, representing an additional hour of monthly viewing time.

“Social networking has become the central activity in Malaysians’ digital lives, accounting for 1 in every 3 minutes spent online,” said Joe Nguyen, comScore vice president for Southeast Asia. “Given its importance today, brands and marketers need to ensure that social media is addressed in their digital strategies – whether that means having a dedicated social media plan or simply monitoring consumer sentiment towards your brand.”

Malaysia’s most visited local sites included Mudah.my, Media Prima Group and Maybank Group.

In August, more than 11 million people age 15 and older accessed the Internet from a home or work location in Malaysia. Among this audience, 92.4 percent visited Google Sites, which ranked as the top online property for the market with 10.4 million visitors. Facebook.com ranked as the second most-visited property with nearly 9.9 million visitors, up 15 percent in the past year, as the social networking giant continues to attract more users.

Among local properties, classifieds destination Mudah.my ranked as the most visited with 2.5 million visitors in August. Media Prima Group, which includes Hmetro.com.my (Harian Metro), Bharian.com.my (Berita Harian), Tonton.com.my and others, reached 2.2 million visitors. Maybank Group drew nearly 1.9 million visitors in August 2011, growing 20 percent from the previous year, as Malaysians continue to adopt online banking.