Interactive One Boasts Another Record-breaking Month

Smokey Fontaine, Chief Content Officer of Interactive One is
featured regularly on TV's One's Washington Watch

Interactive One was launched by Radio One, Inc. in 2008 to complement Radio One's existing portfolio of media companies

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.

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."


Interactive One's web properties:

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.