SAN FRANCISCO - INDUSTRY tracker comScore on Friday released a study showing that Internet users in September spent more time at Microsoft websites that at any other online properties.

A record high population of 1.2 billion Internet users ages 15 or older spent a total of nearly 27 billion hours online in September, according to the study.

Microsoft websites accounted for 14.5 per cent of minutes spent online worldwide in September, making it 'the most engaging global property', comScore reported.

Google websites was ranked second overall, accounting for 9.3 per cent of people's Internet time, followed by Yahoo! and Facebook with 6.3 and 5.1 per cent respectively.

Online video-sharing star YouTube accounted for almost half of the 2.5 billion hours people spent at Google websites, according to the study.

Nearly 70 per cent of the time spent at Microsoft websites was at the US software giant's Windows Live Messenger service, comScore reported. -- AFP