(29 September 2008 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: US media rsearch company Nielsen has announced that the number of video streams at BarackObama.com increased 155 per cent in August, from 502,000 in July to 1.3 million last month.

The number of unique viewers for Obama increased 173 per cent, from 302,000 in July to 824,000 in August, the month of the Democratic National Convention.

Video viewing at John McCain's Web site also increased in August over the previous month, although more modestly. Video streams grew by 16 per cent, from one million to 1.2 million, while unique viewers increased five per cent from 452,000 to 475,000.

August was the first month that women comprised more than half of video viewers at JohnMcCain.com, with 58 per cent. The selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain's vice presidential running mate late in the month may have drawn new women viewers to the site. Women made up 63 per cent of viewers at Barack Obama's site in August.

Nielsen Online VP media analytics Jon Gibs says, "There's no doubt that the addition of Sarah Palin to the McCain ticket has sparked a lot of interest across the political spectrum, especially among women. The question that remains for both candidates is whether Web visitors and online video viewers will translate into votes in the general election in November."