Yet another step in measuring in-game ads: The Nielsen Company and Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) announced an initiative to develop a measurement system for game network advertising that will share with Nielsen game network traffic and other data from its PlayStation3 (PS3) systems and PlayStation Network, including PlayStation Home. Nielsen will then analyze and benchmark the data to create new measurements for calculating the reach, frequency and effectiveness of game network advertising. The initial rollout will begin in the North American market.
Nielsen will combine the SCEA census data with its own game usage data currently collected from more than 12,000 U.S. television households in its National People Meter panel to generate a more integrated view of usage and advertising performance.
Advertisers and agencies will be able to calculate CPMs across PS3s and PlayStation Network with greater detail and accuracy. This fall, Nielsen will begin monthly reporting on, and ranking of, audience statistics and user activity from across PlayStation Network as part of its syndicated GamePlay Metrics measurement product, which is scheduled to launch this month.
Today, Nielsen collects information on the general usage of game systems, connected and otherwise, through its National People Meter sample of more than 12,000 U.S. television households. At launch in July, Nielsen GamePlay Metrics will provide, for the first time, metered game usage and demographic info by game title, genre and platform that provides new insights into the popularity and usage of games among U.S. consumers.
