Nintendo and PlayStation lead as TV ad spend dips in April — even during pandemic

The gaming industry’s TV advertising spend saw an overall decrease in April compared to March, to an estimated $16.3 million from $17.3 million. Nintendo, which accounted for over 84% of industry spend in March, drastically reduced its budget (although it kept its first-place position), while PlayStation burst back onto the ranking after being absent in previous months.

GamesBeat has partnered with iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution platform, to bring you a monthly report on how gaming brands are spending. The results below are for the top five gaming-industry brands in April, ranked by estimated national TV ad spend.

Nintendo leads with an estimated spend of $6.5 million, down from March’s $14.6 million. The brand ran 14 spots over 3,500 times, generating 518.3 million TV ad impressions. The commercial with the biggest placement budget (estimated at $834,641) was “My Way to Play: Gaming Together.” Nick, Cartoon Network, and Nick Toons were three of the networks with the biggest spend, while top programming included SpongeBob SquarePants, The Loud House, and the 2020 NFL Draft.

Second place goes to PlayStation, which had an estimated outlay of $5.5 million on two spots for the Final Fantasy VII Remake, which aired over 2,200 times and resulted in 455 million TV ad impressions. “Most Hyped Remake” had the lion’s share of PlayStation’s budget (estimated at $4.5 million). South Park, Ridiculousness, and The Big Bang Theory were the top three shows for spend, while top networks included Comedy Central, MTV, and TBS.

At No. 3: Xbox, with an estimated spend of $1 million on three commercials that aired 200 times, generating 64.7 million TV ad impressions. With an estimated outlay of $703,395, the Doom Eternal spot “Dominant Life Form” had the biggest placement budget. Top networks by spend included AMC, MTV, and Fox, while The Walking Dead, Ridiculousness, and Friday Night SmackDown were three of the top shows.

GameFly takes fourth place, spending an estimated $741,016 on five ads that ran 747 times, resulting in 57.5 million TV ad impressions. “The Noon Train: Kids” had the biggest placement budget (est. $353,737). Programming with the highest outlays included South Park, Alvinnn!!! and the Chipmunks, and iCarly; top networks included Nick Toons, Comedy Central, and Teen Nick.

Rounding out the ranking is Bethesda Softworks, which spent an estimated $727,062 on placing a single spot, the Doom Eternal “Official Launch Trailer,” which aired 272 times and generated 71.3 million TV ad impressions. It’s worth noting that the brand only had airings in the first part of April, going silent after the thirteenth. Top networks by spend included Comedy Central, Fox, and Adult Swim, while programming with the biggest outlays included Friday Night SmackDown, South Park, and Family Guy.

For more about iSpot’s attention and conversion analytics, visit iSpot.tv.