'The Dark Knight Rises' Leads Page Views for U.K. Youth Websites

Christopher Nolan's movie with Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway is the biggest draw for film-related web content.

LONDON – Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, starring Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway, leads the page views for U.K. youth-focused websites, according to research published Tuesday.

Youth web network w00t! Media said The Dark Knight Risesaccounts for 44 percent of all film-related web pages viewed across a collection of youth sites here.

The data, collated over the first six months of 2012 from sites including Holymoly, The Shiznit and Blogomatic, also shows thatRidley Scott’s sci-fi actioner Prometheus followed with 18 percent of page views amongst youth-focused websites while The Avengers, directed and co-written by Joss Whedon, snagged 16 percent of the page views. 

Film news at 29 percent and reviews with 26 percent are the most popular types of film content viewed on youth websites followed by plot spoilers (13 percent) and photos (12 percent).

w00t! Media used its network of youth site data to collate the research with the sites on its network accounting for just over eight million page views and one million unique visitors each month.

Perhaps surprisingly for movie content, words and images are much more popular than video content.

The research indicates trailers and film clips each account for just 10 percent of film pages viewed on youth-focused websites.

Reviews are the most likely film content to be shared -- accounting for 27 percent of shared film content, followed by news (23 percent), trailers (18 percent), film clips and photos (both 13 percent).

And only six percent of shared content is a plot spoiler, giving the researchers reason to call film fans "a considerate bunch."

Says w00t! Media’s Dan McDevitt: "Film content is a great way of engaging young Brits who watch about 80 of them per year. Entertainment content and youth audiences go hand in hand but it’s very important that, if advertisers want to use it as a way of reaching this group online, they understand exactly how youth and young adults actually consume film and entertainment content."