Nintendo’s Switch remains a hard-to-find gaming system. Its Super NES Classic retro console sold out in seconds on some retail sites. And the House of Mario is dominating on TV, too, with 39 percent of TV ad impressions from July 16 to August 15.
GamesBeat has partnered with iSpot.tv, the real-time TV ad measurement company with attention and conversion analytics from 10 million smart TV screens, to bring you a monthly report on the TV ad impressions generated by the gaming industry’s biggest campaigns. 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 brands from July 16 through August 15.
The gaming industry’s overall TV ad impressions slipped from 967.9 million last time to 957.5 million this time. But the 27 brands actually spent more money ($14.7 million) in the most recent time period to air 70 spots over 8,600 times. Nintendo led the pack once again, more than doubling the impressions of the No. 2 brand, King.
Nintendo garnered 373.5 million impressions with 11 spots that aired over 2,600 times, costing the brand an estimated $7.7 million. Its most-seen ad was (once again) “Arms: Answer the Call to Arms,” which ran up 85.6 million impressions. Disney Channel, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim were the three networks with the highest volume of impressions for Nintendo ads, while top shows for Nintendo included Teen Titans Go!, The Loud House, and SpongeBob SquarePants.
Despite spending a fraction of Nintendo’s estimated budget, King came in second with 161.2 million impressions on three ads airing nearly 1,400 times. “Candy Crush Saga: Special Event: Candylicious Rewards” ran up the most impressions — over 114 million — for King. Top networks for the brand included ION, Investigation Discovery and Lifetime Movies, while Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Bitter Potion were among its top shows.
InnoGames spent an estimated $1.5 million on four commercials that aired more than 900 times, generating over 81 million impressions. The most-seen ad was “Forge of Empires: Trade,” with 45.7 million impressions. InnoGames’ top networks included History Channel, Syfy and Spike, while its top shows included Cops, Impractical Jokers and Counting Cars.
MovieStarPlanet.com came in fourth with 75.6 million impressions. The company’s three ads aired over 700 times, with an estimated spend of $1.2 million; its most-seen spot was “Creative,” which ran up 31.2 million impressions. The gaming brand’s top networks included Cartoon Network, Nick and Disney XD, while top shows included Teen Titans GO!, SpongeBob SquarePants, and The Loud House.
Rounding out the ranking is Wargaming.net, with an estimated $1.1 million spend on two spots airing nearly 800 times while generating 66 million impressions. “World of Tanks: Beyond Dunkirk” was the most-seen, with over 48 million impressions. The brand’s top networks included History Channel, TNT and Spike, while top shows included American Pickers, Pawn Stars, and Cops.
