October 19, 2006
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Nielsen Media Research announced yesterday plans to launch GamePlay Metrics, which is designed to give the video game industry a precise system of electronic measurements to standardize the burgeoning market for the buying and selling of ads in its video games – an industry first. GamePlay Metrics also will track the activities of gamers across other media platforms, including television and the Internet, and provide advertisers with data about the playing habits and tastes of gamers. Forecasters expect the emerging market for in-game ads to reach $1 billion to $3 billion by 2010, a fraction of the $60+ billion spent on television advertising.
“The value of an entertainment medium is directly proportional to how well it is measured,” Jeff Herrmann, vice president of Nielsen’s newly created wireless and interactive division, said in a statement. “A reliable and accurate standard of measurement for video gaming will drive advertising investment in this medium.” Nielsen spokeswoman Karen Gyimesi said the new video game service will build on the ratings sample the company already has in place for television, with some preliminary gaming data being made available in early 2007; the full service, Gyimesi said, would probably not be up and running until the middle of next year.
