Mobile games getting more exposure on TV

Ever feel like free mobile games are taking over your TV? A new report indicates that app-oriented outfits are not only using big names but are also spending more than ever before to get your attention. Figures from the first three months of 2015 show that mobile game companies are not only spending more than traditional console counterparts, but also in comparison to the year before – in some instances by a wide margin. Sean Muller, CEO of metrics firm iSpot.tv, used a guest spot on VentureBeat to explain that there were several motivations behind the increase in mobile game visibility on TV. Three of the App Store’s biggest games creators in 2014 were King (“Candy Crush Soda Saga”), Supercell (“Clash of Clans”), and Machine Zone (“Game of War: Fire Age”). Correspondingly, iSpot. TV has them accounting for 30% of all video game spend on TV ads for January through March 2015. Machine Zone and Supercell have also both upped their proportional visibility compared to the year before. “Game of War: Fire Age,” with a campaign fronted by model Kate Upton, increased its 6.7% share of TV ad spending to 21% for January to March 2015. Supercell, well known for “Clash of Clans,” went from 10% to 22%. Meanwhile, a group of companies who did not factor into last year’s figures represented 10% of TV ad spending this time around, with Ucool of “Evony” and “Heroes Charge” among them. Those changes are for two reasons. Firstly, it works. “So long as this TV ad push results in more app downloads, we may likely be seeing a new long-term competitor,” Muller explains. For example, Supercell’s campaigns have spread beyond TV. A Liam Neeson ad was shown once during the Super Bowl XLIX broadcast on February 1, then gathered 48 million views on the net. “Of the total digital buzz attributed to video game commercials from 27 advertisers and 90 commercials in 2015, 77 percent goes to Supercell,” Muller writes. Secondly, there’s been a tactical withdrawal from the console side – for now, at least. Last year had console manufacturers Sony and Microsoft putting their might behind the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which debuted late 2013. March 2014 saw “Titanfall” launch on Xbox One and “Infamous: Second Son” on PlayStation 4. This year, console manufacturers and game developers are moving back to a more traditional annual cycle focused around the end-of-year Holiday season, making way for mobile publishers to take advantage, though some of those bigger blockbusters are starting to make their presence felt – “we’re starting to see a surge around the upcoming release of ‘Halo 5: Guardians,’” Muller observes. AFP