Home entertainment and mobile gaming soared post-pandemic. Similarly, and marketers and advertisers are intent on reaching audiences spending increasing amounts services.
In this regularly updated stats roundup, we will include figures on gaming, in-game advertising. Similarly, TV and OTT consumption and advertising, and much more.
Gaming
US consumer spend on video games increased 27% in 2020
In a series of tweets, Executive Director at the NPD Group, Mat Piscatella, shared some fascinating insight into. US consumer spending on the video games industry throughout 2020. Similarly, based on full-year data collected by the company.
Total spend on video game content across PC, console, mobile, portable. Similarly, cloud and VR platforms in the region reached $56.9 billion, growing by 27% year-on-year.
In December alone, $7.7 billion was spent on such games, up 25% compared to the same month in 2019. Similarly, while spend on hardware grew to $1.35 billion (+38%). No doubt boosted by the release of the new Xbox and Playstation consoles in November.
81% of US and UK-based media buyers want to increase in-game advertising spend into 2022
Game On For Advertisers – an October 2021 report uae email list from in-play advertising platform Admix – has found 81% of media buyers want to increase their in-game advertising spend over the next 12 months. This is, in part, thanks to a renewed interest from advertisers in the power of gaming as part of the marketing mix. Added to that is the huge uptake in the hobby from consumers throughout the pandemic. By the end of the year, three billon active gamers, globally, could spend up to $176 billion on games.
The survey of more than 400 media buyers from the US and UK also shows there are plenty who do not have the budget to advertise in the next year, but are including it in their long-term plans – 93% say they intend to run in-game ads by 2025. However, one-fifth of respondents stated the key reason they would be hesitant to purchase in-game advertising space is a lack of understanding around the process and execution.
Video game industry ad spend rose 80% year-on-year in the first two weeks of November 2020
The video game industry spent more than $45 million in ad spend over the first two weeks of November 2020; a rise of 80% year-on-year, according to ad sales intelligence company MediaRadar.
This news follows a bumper year for the gaming industry as engagement amongst its core audience reached record highs and both Sony and Microsoft brought brand new consoles to market. In fact, it was the latter that drove much of the increase in ad spend. According to the data, Sony spent more than $15 million advertising the new PlayStation 5 in the month before its release – more than three times what Microsoft spent promoting its equivalent Xbox Series X. Nintendo also contributed to the rise, with ad spend increasing 138% in the first two weeks of November compared to the two weeks prior – all the better to compete with its rivals.
New games have also been released to coincide with these major new console launches, such as Call of Duty: Cold War and Assassins Creed: Valhalla, causing a 76% year-on-year increase in ad spend from video game titles overall. Additionally, popular gaming retailers increased promotions during these two weeks in an attempt to entice fans to spend throughout the much-anticipated launches.
From Jan-Aug 2021 global video game ad spend rose 17% year-on-year
Insight from MediaRadar has found global video game advertising rose by 17% year-on-year between January and August 2021. Ad spend across the industry totaled $421.2 million during this time. Similarly, up from $360 million the year before, as publishers took advantage of increased consumer.
Analysis reveals the top spending advertisers so far this year have included The Elder Scrolls, Hero Wars, Rockstar Games, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells and Final Fantasy XIV Online. Overall, these five brands spent a whopping $78 million, equating to 18.5% of the global total.