PlayStation left all other gaming brands far behind when it came to recent TV ad impressions, with Nintendo in second place. Once again sports, especially the NFL and NBA, were huge drivers of impressions for the industry overall. Sony company accounts for over 61% of the sector’s TV ad impressions across 30 days
GamesBeat has partnered with iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company, to bring you a monthly report on TV advertising by the gaming industry. These are the ads, and by extension the games, that game makers are putting major muscle behind.
Below are the top five most-seen gaming industry TV advertisers from Oct. 16 through Nov. 15.
Overall, 13 brands spent an estimated $65.9 million on 55 spots that aired over 9,800 times, resulting in 2.9 billion TV ad impressions.
PlayStation was the breakout brand this time, with nearly 1.8 billion TV ad impressions resulting from nine ads that aired over 4,000 times. “The Drop,” promoting Death Stranding, was the company’s most-seen commercial (466 million impressions). ESPN, Fox, and Adult Swim were the three networks that generated the highest impression-counts for PlayStation, while top programming included the NFL, college football, and the NBA.
Second place goes to Nintendo with 312.2 million TV ad impressions generated by 19 spots that ran over 2,000 times. Its most-seen commercial was “Trick or Defeat: Luigi’s Mansion 3,” with 52.8 million impressions. Nick, Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network were the top three networks by impressions for Nintendo, while top programming included SpongeBob SquarePants, The Loud House, and The Amazing World of Gumball.
Xbox takes third place, running five spots 525 times, resulting in 257.3 million TV ad impressions. “They Know Who You Are,” promoting Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, was the most-seen ad (132.2 million impressions). The networks generating top impression-counts included Fox, ESPN, and NBA TV, and top programming included the NBA, the NFL, and the 2019 World Series.
At No. 4 is Activision, with 164.1 million TV ad impressions resulting from two spots that aired 102 times. Its most-seen commercial, with 109.7 million impressions, was “Rules of Engagement” for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, featuring music by Metallica. As with the other brands, sports was a primary focus for Activision, with high impression-counts coming from programming such as the NFL, the 2019 World Series, and SportsCenter, while top networks included ESPN, Fox, and CBS.
EA Sports rounds out the ranking with 127.9 million TV ad impressions from six spots that ran 174 times. The Madden NFL 20 commercial “Doesn’t Feel Any Different” featuring Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes had the most impressions (46.4 million). The company focused entirely on sports-related channels and content: ESPN, NFL Network, and ESPN2 were the networks that generated the highest impression-counts, while top programming included the NFL, NFL Live, and Around the Horn.
