Habbo: MySpace, YouTube More Popular Than Facebook Among U.S. Teens

MySpace and YouTube are more popular than Facebook among American teenagers, at least according to a new global study conducted by Habbo, a popular youth-aimed virtual world.On Wednesday (June 3) the Helsinki, Finland–based company released the results of its second annual Global Habbo Youth Survey Brand Update 2009. That study, conducted in April 2009, quizzed 112,000 teens aged 11 to 19 from over 30 countries—including 4,500 teens from the U.S. According to the GHYS, Facebook is now the third most popular Web site among U.S. teens, up from fifth last year. However, across the globe YouTube and Facebook rank No. 1 and No. 2 respectively, found Habbo, with MySpace coming in at No. 4. The study, which also surveyed teens on their various attitudes about brands, deliberately excluded Habbo—one of the fastest growing teen-aimed virtual worlds-- as a possible response. Currently, Habbo’s parent company Sulake claims that the site reaches close to 12 million unique users globally, while comScore reports that Habbo reaches around 3 million monthly users in the U.S.Beyond differences in online media preferences, American teens are more brand conscious than their brethren across the world, found the study. According to the GHYS, 50 percent of teens surveyed feel it’s important to express individuality and want their brands to help them stand out. Meanwhile, just 38 percent of global respondents shared the same attitudes toward brands.In recent months, Habbo has increasingly become a marketing partner for U.S. brands and media companies. Back in January, the company inked a deal with Fox and the production company FremantleMedia to host a virtual version of the mega-hit American Idol. However, Habbo currently makes most of its money from the sale of virtual goods. Sulake reported in March that it pulled in $74 million in revenue for 2008—the majority of which was derived from virtual goods sales.

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Habbo: MySpace, YouTube More Popular Than Facebook Among U.S. Teens

Mike Shields

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