VentureBeat: “Nintendo dominated video game national TV advertising for the first half of 2021”

The first half of 2021 is done, so VentureBeat and TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv have published the latest data on how the year has gone so far for video game national TV advertising in the United States. According to VentureBeat, “Nintendo flat-out dominated video game national TV advertising for the first half of 2021. But depending on your programming of choice, you may not have noticed.”

VentureBeat also said that “Nintendo rules the year so far, with 68% of total ad impressions. The company commands 12 of the top 20 individual spots of the year to date and every one of the top five. And it paid for it, too. According to iSpot data, Nintendo is solely responsible for nearly half (47.7%) of gaming’s overall TV ad spend for the year”.

So, why does VentureBeat mention that some of you may not have noticed Nintendo’s advertising? Because “Nintendo aired 79 spots, primarily on kids-focused programs. The top five networks by impressions for Nintendo ads included Nick (26%), Disney (24%), Cartoon Network (22%), Nick Toons (6.5%), and Disney XD (3.6%). The top shows were SpongeBob SquarePants, The Amazing World of Gumball, The Loud House, Big City Greens, and Teen Titans Go!”. As for the content of the ads, VentureBeat revealed that “Nintendo primarily advertised specific Switch games, led by Super Mario 3D World, Pokémon, Among Us, Animal Crossing, and Mario Golf in the first half of 2021”.

VentureBeat also discussed creative content. According to their data, “Nintendo’s ads steal the show, with several of its top ads scoring well above the norm for the video game industry. According to Ace Metrix Creative Assessment survey data from iSpot, three of Nintendo’s top five spots (by TV ad impressions) garnered at least 5% more attention than the norm for video game ads during the first half of 2021.”

Lastly, VentureBeat revealed the top video gaming advertisement that Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony each had during the first half of 2021. They also included data on the 3 advertisements, such as the amount of times it aired and the impressions that it got. The list can be seen in full down below.