PlayStation leads in TV ad impressions, but Square Enix is close behind

Gaming industry TV ad impressions saw an 87.71% increase from mid-August to mid-September, compared to the previous 30-day period. From August 16 through September 15, 12 gaming brands aired 49 spots over 6,500 times, resulting in 1.5 billion impressions. Sports, particularly NBA playoff games, were a large driver of impressions for the industry overall, and three brands dominated this time around: PlayStation, Square Enix, and Nintendo.

GamesBeat has partnered with iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company, to bring you a monthly report on TV advertising by the gaming industry. These are the ads, and by extension the games, that game marketers have been putting major muscle behind.

Below are the top five most-seen gaming industry TV advertisers from the period measured.

Once again, PlayStation takes first place — this time thanks to 420.6 million TV ad impressions generated by four spots that ran over 1,200 times. Its most-seen commercial (252.8 million impressions) was “Time to Assemble,” promoting Marvel’s Avengers. ESPN, FX, and Adult Swim were three of the networks with the highest impression counts, while top programming included NBA playoffs, SportsCenter, and the first week of NFL games.

Second place goes to Square Enix, which aired two spots, both for Marvel’s Avengers, over 1,200 times, resulting in 375.3 million TV ad impressions. “Time to Assemble” was the most-watched commercial (311.3 million impressions), and it’s worth noting this spot is almost identical to PlayStation’s top ad, except without the PlayStation-specific branding. The NBA , SportsCenter, and college football were the top programming by impressions; top networks included ESPN, Adult Swim, and ABC.

At No. 3: Nintendo, with 362.5 million TV ad impressions generated by 21 spots that aired over 2,000 times. The top commercial by impressions (54.2 million) was “How We Play: Mario Kart 8,” promoting the Switch. Nintendo was the only top-five brand that did not prioritize reaching a sports-loving audience; instead, it remained true to form by targeting family-friendly shows and networks, such as Nick, Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network, Top shows included SpongeBob SquarePants, The Loud House, and The Amazing World of Gumball.

With 164.7 million TV ad impressions, Activision takes fourth place. The brand only aired one spot, “Anthem 2.1 – 75 Million,” promoting Call of Duty: Warzone, and it ran 457 times, solely in August. Top impression-generating networks included TNT, ESPN, and FX, while top programming included the NBA, the NHL, and Inside the NBA.

Rounding out the ranking is EA Sports, which aired five spots 236 times, resulting in 77.5 million TV ad impressions. “A New Era Feat. The Spokesplayer,” featuring comic King Keraun, was its most-seen commercial, with 73.4 million TV ad impressions. Naturally, the brand opted to reach sports fans: Top programming by impressions included the NBA, the NFL, and Football Night in America: Kickoff, and four out of the six networks that aired the brand’s ads were sports-related, with the top three being ESPN, NFL Network, and NBC.