The rise of Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP.ph), the official website of YES! magazine, has been nothing short of meteoric. From modest beginnings in 2006 through a joint venture between Summit Media and GMA New Media, Inc., the site’s numbers now stand at a formidable 29 million page views and 1.4 million unique visitors for the month of September 2010, making it the leading entertainment website and one of the top websites in the country.

According to web information site Alexa.com, PEP currently ranks 42nd among the most visited websites in the Philippines, besting Philstar.com, which stands at the 58th spot, and ABS-CBNnews.com, which ranks 71st.

In fact, PEP has transcended national bounds, with 60% of the site’s traffic coming from abroad, particularly the US, where 27% of the site’s visits hails. These numbers prove that Filipinos here and elsewhere in the world rely on PEP to give them their fill of the latest in the entertainment industry and provide them with a venue where they can connect with fellow showbiz followers.

PEP, Inc. Assistant General Manager Marilyn See attributes PEP’s success to its real-time, 24/7 coverage of entertainment news. “Unlike showbiz magazines that come out monthly and showbiz TV programs that come out weekly, PEP was the first one to come out with daily entertainment breaking news—news delivered to the readers as it happens in the industry,” See explains.

Another reason PEP is held in high esteem by fans and celebrities alike is its accurate, thorough, and unbiased coverage of showbiz news. Much like YES!, PEP digs deep into controversies and covers noteworthy celebrities, shows, movies, and events, regardless of their network affiliations. “With (YES! Editor-in-chief) Jo-ann Maglipon as PEP’s Editor-in-chief, we have established that PEP will uphold the high standard in journalism that YES! has established over the years. Because of the site’s association with YES!, our readers as well as the celebrities themselves recognize that PEP is a credible website that can be trusted,” See states.

Furthermore, PEP’s interactivity features are a hit with showbiz enthusiasts who want to give their two cents in response to hot topics. Comment boxes, forums, and the PEParazzi section—where members can submit personal photos and videos of celebrities—get readers more involved in the site’s content.

PEP continues to grow with the times and according to its readers’ demands. As user-generated content becomes ever more prevalent in today’s Internet landscape, PEP will be amped up with features that put more control in the readers’ hands.

“In the months to come, PEP will be more integrated with social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, enabling our readers to share and react about an article as they please. PEP will also empower its readers to become citizen journalists through the improved PEParazzi section,” See reveals.

For advertising inquiries, contact Marilyn See at marilyn.see@pep.ph.