'The Ashes' search term driving traffic to newspaper websites

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England's battering in the first Ashes test hasn't dampened enthusiasm to follow the action online and newspaper's web editions are fast becoming the beneficiaries.

The BBC is still cornering the market, picking up nearly 30 per cent of all searches on the term 'The Ashes'.

However, newspapers websites are featuring highly amongst the recipients of traffic for Ashes and cricket-related search terms, performing well against dedicated cricket news and information sites such as 334 Not Out. Times Online

and the Telegraph have significantly increased their position.

According to Hitwise , Times Online is the second largest recipient of traffic from the search term 'The Ashes', whilst the Telegraph was ninth for the term 'Ashes'.

Neither of these sites featured in the Hitwise list of sites getting traffic from these terms in August 2005.

Searches for 'The Ashes' have overtaken searches for 'cricket' in the UK, pushing online interest in the current tour higher than it was throughout last summer's series.

Visits to the Cricinfo website have increased almost 20 per cent from the August peak during the 2005 Ashes Tour, with fans catching up on the latest news. The Sun online has also capitalised well on the current Ashes Tour. According to Hitwise it has become the fourth highest recipient of traffic from the term 'The Ashes', receiving an eight per cent share of searches.

This compares to August 2005 when the Sun was the number 33 site (of just 51 sites) receiving traffic from 'The Ashes'.

Websites share of traffic from search term 'The Ashes' (According to Hitwise):

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