GECs
Google continues growing in popularity in the UK
MUMBAI: comScore Networks, which provides measurement services for the internet and other digital media has revealed the top UK Internet properties for October, based on data collected through its comScore World Metrix audience ratings service.
The world’s most valuable media firm Google (not including its recent acquisition YouTube) edged out software major Microsoft in October to become the most-visited Web property in the UK. eBay is in third position.
Yahoo!, BBC and Time Warner are also present in the top 10 most popular sites in the UK. comScore Europe MD Bob Ivins says, “We have watched the popularity of Google consistently grow over time. While the current month-over-month increase was small, it was just enough to earn them the number one spot.
“Also notable was YouTube’s 24 per cent increase in traffic in October. YouTube’s ascent in popularity around the world and in the UK, demonstrated by the site’s month-after-month double-digit percentage increases, has been remarkable.”
It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
Retail sites represented nearly half of the top 20 gaining sites in the U.K. in October, indicating an early interest in holiday shopping. Leading the top gainers were Woolworths Group with 2.6 million visitors and HMV with 2.4 million visitors, growing 65 and 30 per cent respectively.
UK traffic to the Wal-Mart Web property, which includes ASDA, grew 14 per cent to 2.3 million visitors. Littlewoods Shop Direct Group grew 12 per cent to 3.9 million visitors, followed by Tesco Stores (also a top 20 site), which
grew 12 per cent to 6.7 million visitors. Other retail sites rounding out the list of top gainers include Marks&Spencer, up 10 per cent to 2.4 million visitors; Play.com sites, up 10 percent to 3.6 million visitors; and Dixons Stores Group, up 10 percent to 4.2 million visitors.
In addition to shopping, Britons were pparently busy booking holiday travel in October, with traffic to British Airways gaining 26 percent to 3.5 million visitors and British Midland gaining 11 per cent to 2.6 million visitors.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… connection because this time, the game isn’t just about winning, it’s about who’s with you. Sony Pictures Networks India is gearing up to launch a new reality game show, Tum Ho Naa, expanding its unscripted slate with a format that promises both emotion and engagement.
The show will premiere soon on Sony Entertainment Television and stream on Sony LIV, with Rajeev Khandelwal stepping in as host. Known for his measured screen presence and selective choices, Khandelwal’s return to television adds a layer of familiarity and credibility to the upcoming format.
While specific details of the gameplay remain under wraps, the positioning suggests a reality format that leans as much on emotional resonance as it does on competition, an increasingly popular blend in Indian television, where audiences are gravitating towards content that offers both stakes and storytelling.
Khandelwal, reflecting on his return, noted that his choices have often been guided by instinct rather than convention, describing Tum Ho Naa as a project that feels “close to the heart”. His association also signals Sony’s continued focus on anchoring new formats with recognisable faces who bring both relatability and depth.
The launch comes at a time when broadcasters are doubling down on original non-fiction formats to drive appointment viewing, even as digital platforms expand parallel reach. By placing the show across both linear television and OTT, Sony appears to be aiming for a dual-audience strategy capturing traditional viewers while engaging digital-first consumers.
As the countdown to premiere begins, Tum Ho Naa positions itself not just as another game show, but as a reminder that sometimes, the biggest prize on screen isn’t the jackpot, it’s the journey shared along the way.
