Nielsen//NetRatings Reports on Internet Usage in Canada 30/06/00 The first-ever Canadian Internet audience information and usage data from Nielsen//NetRatings indicates that Canadian Web surfers spent nearly 30 more minutes online than US Internet users in May, averaging more sessions and page views despite the US having ten times more active Internet users than Canada. The Nielsen//NetRatings service in Canada derives data from a research panel of 7,350 English-speaking Internet users in randomly selected Canadian households and provides the most timely and comprehensive information on Internet activity currently available on the market. According to David Tattle, President of Nielsen Media Research Canada, "Canada is among the leading countries in Internet penetration and with Canadian Internet users averaging more time online than US Web surfers, it's clear that the Web is a vital medium for communication, entertainment and commerce in Canada. Establishing the Nielsen//NetRatings service in Canada enables companies to better understand the users' behavior and the growth dynamics in the Canadian Internet marketplace." During the month of May 2000, MSN received top billing in Canada among all Web properties with a unique audience above 4.5 million. Yahoo was number two with a unique audience of nearly 4.3 million and AOL websites rounded out the top three with a unique audience of more than 3.2 million. According to Sean Kaldor, Vice President of E-Commerce at NetRatings, "MSN's growth has been spearheaded by the development of key partnerships with Canadian retailers and by the phenomenal success of its free e-mail service, Hotmail. The latter, which is available in seven languages including English and French, is utilised by over 15% of the Canadian population and is the driving force behind MSN's high usage rate."