Nielsen//NetRatings Global Service Expands Further in Europe 22/6/00 Nielsen//NetRatings has launched its international service both in Germany, where 18.2% of the national population has access to the Internet at home, and in Italy, where the figure stands at 17.8%. Nielsen//NetRatings reports that 18.2% of individuals two years and older in Germany, or 14.7 million people, currently have access to the Internet via a home PC, while 17.8% of individuals in Italy, or 10.1 million people, currently have home PC access to the Internet. Furthermore, 13.8% of German households, or five million households, plan to gain access to the Internet within the next year, and 14.6% of Italian households, or three million households, plan to gain access within a year. According to Bill Pulver, President of ACNielsen e.Ratings.com, "Germany and Italy each have well-developed Internet audiences today, as well as considerable numbers of people who plan to begin using the Internet within a year. Our presence in these European countries is crucial to establishing Nielsen//NetRatings as the industry standard for Internet measurement, and we have been very pleased by the positive reaction we have received from clients in those markets to the depth and breadth of information we provide. Clearly Nielsen//NetRatings will be an important tool for marketers looking to target consumers who are using and who plan to use the Internet." These launches follow service introductions earlier this spring in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark and France. The Nielsen//NetRatings service will continue its aggressive expansion by launching in Hong Kong on June 22. By the end of 2001, the operation plans to measure over 90% of the world's Internet audience in over 30 countries.