Interactive One Boasts Another Record-breaking Month With 9.9 Million Unique Visitors to Its Suite of Sites and Double Digit Growth in February 2012

NEW YORK, March 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of a record-breaking January, Interactive One, the largest digital media company serving Black Americans, reached 9.9 million unique visitors according to Omniture SiteCatalyst, February 2012.  This unprecedented number reflects 30 percent growth over the previous month and 70 percent growth year-over-year.

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Interactive One's web properties saw double digit growth in February 2012:

• NewsOne.com, the premiere online destination for up-to-the-minute, comprehensive news coverage relevant to African Americans, increased its unique visitors by 42 percent since January 2012, having reached 2.1 million unique visitors.
• HelloBeautiful.com, the definitive lifestyle website for Black women, reached two million unique visitors, an increase of 23 percent over January 2012.
• TheUrbanDaily.com, Interactive One's pop culture property, increased its unique visitors by 11 percent month-over-month, having reached 1.8 million unique visitors.
• Elev8.com, a site devoted to elevating the mind, body and spirit, reached 308,114 unique visitors, an increase of 11 percent since January 2012.
• Radio One stations' digital radio sites reached a total of 3.6 million unique visitors, an increase of 62 percent over January 2012.
• BlackPlanet Radio, Interactive One's newest property launched in November 2011, increased its unique visitor number by 27 percent over January 2012.

One of the largest growth areas in February was social media, which played a huge role in the unprecedented increase with 2 million users visiting Interactive One sites through Facebook and other social media channels.  The month-over-month increase of 169 percent through social media is another example of African Americans' reliance on Interactive One sites for their news and information.  Additionally, close to three million people accessed the websites through a mobile device, the highest number the company has seen to date.

Interactive One's rapid growth is attributed to a number of factors including compelling and authentic original content filtered through a Black lens and a diversity of stories and story angles across sites.  Coverage of culturally relevant events such as the Whitney Houston tragedy, the Grammy Awards, and the first photos of Jay-Z and Beyonce's daughter, as well as unique Black History Month content maintained the company's indisputable position as the leading online news and information resource for African Americans.  Growth can also be attributed to Interactive One's new social media sites BlackPlanetNEXT and BlackPlanetRADIO which gave Black Americans a culturally relevant outlet for expression in a way that has never been done online. 

"Our rapid growth over four short years to reach nearly 10 million people in February – a number 70 percent higher than a year ago – underscores the relevance of Interactive One sites to our target audiences," said Smokey Fontaine, Chief Content Officer, Interactive One.  "Our commitment to the African American community and the people we serve remains unwavering and we anticipate continued growth and expansion in the coming months."

ABOUT INTERACTIVE ONE

Interactive One has more than 15 million members and reaches millions of Black Americans each month. With approximately 3 billion annual page views on its suite of sites, the company has become the definitive online resource for Black America through its suite of social, content and radio sites such as the iconic BlackPlanet (www.BlackPlanet.com), the newly launched BlackPlanetNEXT (www.BlackPlanetNEXT.com), and the new BlackPlanet RADIO (www.BlackPlanetRadio.com), the digital industry's first social radio website created for the African American community. Interactive One is also home to several leading content sites including: NewsOne (www.NewsOne.com), which provides up to the minute, comprehensive coverage of newsworthy events relevant to Black Americans across the country and the world; TheUrbanDaily (www.TheUrbanDaily.com), the eyes and ears for Black Americans looking for what's hot online, on the airwaves, in theaters, and on the street; HelloBeautiful (www.HelloBeautiful.com), the definitive lifestyle resource for today's Black woman; Elev8 (www.Elev8.com) a site devoted to elevating the mind, body and spirit. 

Interactive One was launched by Radio One, Inc. in 2008 to complement Radio One's existing portfolio of media companies targeting Black Americans. Since its launch, Interactive One has quickly become the #1 online platform for the African American community.  Interactive One is powered by the mission to create an online community that engages and positively impacts the lives of African Americans.

SOURCE Interactive One