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Games becomes second-fastest growing TV ad sector
Video games has become the second fastest growing TV advertising market in the UK, behind office equipment.
We saw last week that games and consoles TV advertising had kicked off 2012 brightly. Growth in the market has accelerated to 62 per cent year-on-year.
It also puts it well ahead of total TV advertising, which is currently experiencing a slight decline of one per cent. Ubisoft’s Just Dance 3 campaign has been responsible for a large proportion of the growth, achieving 118 individual TVRs year-to-date. This means it’s the largest campaign of 2012 thus far with a 13 per cent share of voice.
Nintendo’s campaign for the 3DS is the only other campaign to break the 100-TVR barrier. With 108 TVRs, this campaign has a 12 per cent share of voice for the year-to-date.
What's a TVR?
The TVR (Television Rating) is the measure of popularity for a programme or ad by comparing its audience to the population as a whole. One TVR is equivalent to one per cent of a target audience. So if Coronation Street achieved a Housewives TVR of 20 in Yorkshire it means that, on average, 20 per cent of all Housewives in Yorkshire watched it.
A campaign can achieve over 100 TVRs, however. But this does not mean that it has been seen by 100 per cent of the population, as TVRs only refer to the percentage of the population reached at the time of airing. So airing an ad during Corrie six times gives you 120 TVRs, but you may only be reaching the same 20 per cent of people.
Data supplied by Generation Media
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Sega income dips 6.6 per cent
Sega Sammy's income has dropped slightly due to sluggish video game sales in Europe and the US.
For the nine months ending December 31st 2011, the publisher's net income was £284.7m, a slight drop of 6.6 per cent compared with the year before.
The firm enjoyed strong sales from its amusement and Pachinko businesses, which has been recovering from supply issues and electricity shortages caused by the Japanese Earthquake and Thai floods.
Console game sales performed solidly in Japan, but worldwide sales remained slow dur the 'adverse market conditions.' In total 4.4m games were sold in the US, 6.37m was sold in Europe and 1.8m sold in Japan.
Mario & Sonic at the London Olympic Games was the top seller, shifting 2.4m copies. Followed by Sonic Generations with 1.6m sales.
Once again, Sega admits it needs to 'adapt to the changing business environment', which includes taking advantage of smartphones and social networks.
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MCV Awards: Last chance to lobby
Five hours. That's all you have left to nominate for this year's MCV Industry Excellence Awards.
This is your last chance to highlight the work done by your colleagues, suppliers, customers, or even a rival, for their biggest achievements of the past year. And don't forget to vote for your own triumphs, too.
The deadline is 5pm today – again, that's just five hours from now. A full lobbying guide to the awards can be found by clicking here – there are 20 prizes up for grabs, including new categories such as Digital Retailer.
To lobby for your favourites, send a short pitch to Michael.French@intentmedia.co.uk.
The MCV Awards returns on Thursday, April 19th, but takes place at a new venue (Lancaster London) and with cheaper prices (we’ve got a single-band pricing structure this time). Comedian and The Inbetweeners star Greg Davies will host the evening.
To book a place, contact Kathryn.Humphrey@intentmedia.co.uk or call her on 01992 535 647.
Sponsorship opportunities are also available - contact Lesley.Blumson@intentmedia.co.uk or call her on 01992 535 647.
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What's Out Today? w/e February 3rd, 2012
February brings the first big wave of new releases for the year, including a new Soul Calibur and Final Fantasy.
Namco Bandai's weapon-based beat 'em up series returns with Soul Calibur V, featuring a fresh roster of characters and special guest appearance from Assassin's Creed star Ezio.
Meanwhile, Square Enix follow up its epic 2010 JRPG in Final Fantasy XIII-2, which address some of the criticisms against its predecessor.
Also out this week is a duo of Konami titles: Metal Gear Solid HD Collection and NeverDead.
Click here for MCV's fully updated and comprehensive release schedule.
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THQ's 17-game rescue plan
Embattled publisher THQ has plotted a multi-year game release schedule in a bid to calm investor nerves.
Last night the publisher announced a net loss of $56 million for the last three months of 2011.
In a move to dispel fears, THQ’s executive team last night listed its next seventeen projects, according to Develop. In keeping with the company's restructure plans, all announced titles are aimed at a core gaming audience.
The full list follows:
UFC Undisputed - Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 - February 14, 2012
Darksiders II - Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC - June 2012
South Park: The Game - Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC - Q3 FY13
Annual WWE Game - TBA - Q3 FY13
Metro: Last Light - Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC - Q4 FY13
Devil’s Third - Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC - Q4 FY13
Two additional unannounced core projects, set for release FY13
For fiscal 2014 and beyond:
Un-named Original Title - Turtle Rock Studio (external)
Dark Millennium Online - Vigil and Relic
inSANE - Volition
Homefront 2 - Crytek (external)
Patrice Désilets Original Title - THQ Montreal
Four additional unannounced core titles, the majority of which are company-owned IP.
