Chinese search engine revenues up 51 pct in Q3

Third-quarter revenues for Chinese search engine operators reached 8.1 billion yuan (1.28 billion U.S. dollars), up 51 percent from a year earlier, a report said Thursday.

The sector's third-quarter revenues also represented a 16.2-percent increase from the second quarter, said the report issued by Analysys International.

Adding advertising income brings their combined revenues to 10.3 billion yuan, marking the first time for the sector to post quarterly revenues of more than 10 billion yuan, said Dong Xu, an Analysys International researcher.

Baidu dominated the sector with a market share of 78.6 percent, followed by Google China and Sogou with market shares of 15.3 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively, the report said.

The report said the entry of search company Qihoo 360 might change market shares in the sector in the future.