Since I just helped an agricultural media company create a podcast and I’m in a podcasting mood I thought you might find this of interest. Keep in mind that all the people referred to are using an online environment that includes the biggest podcast directory. Is your company represented there? When I see numbers like these I do have to laugh about this public comment about podcasts and iPods that a farm broadcaster made recently, “It takes too much energy and management for busy people over a long term.” Yeah? Well tell that to all the new iPod owners!

Hitwise, the world’s leading online competitive intelligence service, today announced that the market share of visits to the iTunes website (www.apple.com/itunes ) was up 413 percent on Christmas Day 2006 (December 25, 2006) versus Christmas Day 2005 as new iPod owners flocked to the web to download iTunes. In addition, the market share of visits to the Apple Store (store.apple.com) showed an increase of 110 percent when comparing Christmas Day 2006 to 2005. The Apple Store was the fourth most visited website in the Hitwise Retail Index on Christmas Day 2006.

The market share of visits to Zune.net, the site for downloading the music software for Microsoft’s MP3 player showed an increase of 1,030 percent on December 25, 2006 versus the previous Monday (December 18, 2006). However, this strong initial performance was overshadowed by the iPod, as the market share of visits to the iTunes website increased by 1,222 percent in the same period, and outnumbered visits to Zune.net by 30 to 1. “For the third holiday season in a row, the iPod has been the must-have Christmas gift,” said Bill Tancer, general manager of global research at Hitwise.

Via Sundog.