Nintendo’s been busy promoting the Switch hybrid console, and it shows: The publisher is in first place when it comes to the most-seen gaming industry TV ads, while Xbox lingers behind, followed by Respawn Entertainment.
GamesBeat has partnered with iSpot.tv, the 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 March 16 through April 15.
In all, there were nearly 1.5 billion TV ad impressions during the period measured, with 19 brands spending an estimated $25 million on 64 spots that aired over 8,400 times.
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Nintendo’s 363.1 million impressions puts it squarely in first place. The company ran 18 commercials over 2,700 times, and a Switch ad titled “Yoshi’s Crafted World: Flip Into a New Adventure” led the way with 114.9 million impressions. Nick, Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network were three of the top networks generating high impression-counts, while key shows included SpongeBob SquarePants, The Loud House, and WWE Monday Night RAW.
Second place goes to Xbox with 271.3 million impressions generated by 11 ads that ran over 1,000 times. Its most-seen commercial (92.1 million impressions) was “Last Address,” promoting Tom Clancy’s The Division 2. The NBA, Bar Rescue, and college basketball generated major impressions for Xbox, while top networks included ESPN, Paramount Network, and Adult Swim.
At No. 3: Respawn Entertainment, which ran a single spot, “Over 50 Million Players,” 100 times, resulting in 209.7 million impressions. Some of the top networks included CBS, TBS, and TNT, while the 2019 NCAA basketball tournament, College GameDay, and The Walking Dead were among the programming generating high impression-counts.
Fourth place goes to Seriously Digital Entertainment, which aired seven ads over 2,500 times, generating 200.6 million TV ad impressions. “Best Fiends: Collect Cute Characters: Howie” was its most-seen commercial with 84.1 million impressions. Networks generating high impression-counts included CMTV, Laff TV, and MTV2, while top programs included Last Man Standing, CMT Music, and Black-ish.
Warner Bros. Games rounds out the ranking with 153.9 million impressions generated by four spots that had 543 airings. The ad with the most impressions (113.7 million) was “Amazing New Worlds,” promoting the Lego Movie 2 game. Disney Channel, ESPN, and Nick were three of the top networks for the brand, while Raven’s Home, Coop & Cami Ask the World, and Sydney to the Max were three shows that generated major impressions.
