Nielsen to provide video game ratings service

Cory Bergman October 18th, 2006

Called GamePlay Metrics, the ratings system will provide data for clients who buy advertising inside video games. Nielsen’s new system will also track user behavior between video games, TV and the web. “The value of an entertainment medium is directly proportional to how well it is measured,” said Jeff Herrmann, Vice President of Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services. Press release…

PRESS RELEASE – Drawing on its extensive resources in media audience measurement, Nielsen Media Research today announced that it is launching GamePlay Metrics, a new rating service for video games. The all-electronic ratings service will establish new metrics for the buying and selling of advertising in video games, while also tracking the activities of gamers across other media platforms, such as TV and the Internet.

GamePlay Metrics will be the first offering from the newly created Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services division. The new data will enable the video game industry to develop an advertising business model to offset the steep development costs of new titles for next-generation consoles. In addition, the metrics will give advertisers a greater level of precision for targeting the digital consumer.

Nielsen’s new measurement service will provide advertisers, agencies, hardware manufacturers and game developers with independent, high-quality, quantitative demographic data for negotiating the buying and selling of in-game and around-game advertising.

Nielsen’s GamePlay Metrics service also will provide advertisers with comprehensive analysis on how video game play affects or complements the use of other electronic media. For example, the data will show what television programs gamers watch when they’re not playing games. This unified data source increases the precision of advertisers’ target marketing, and enables them to allocate their ad dollars in a more efficient manner.

“The value of an entertainment medium is directly proportional to how well it is measured,” said Jeff Herrmann, Vice President of Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services. “A reliable and accurate standard of measurement for video gaming will drive advertising investment in this medium and convert video game advertising from a discretionary choice to a must-have option. Nielsen’s unmatched resources, including its portfolio of intellectual property, extensive technology infrastructure and decades of media measurement expertise, are the foundation of the Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services business.”

“For games to gain prominence as both a medium and a communication platform, the gaming industry must deliver the tools brands need to leverage it most effectively,” said Saneel Radia, Group Director at Play, the gaming division of Denuo. “A credible set of data and learnings such as those provided by Nielsen’s GamePlay Metrics Service will provide marketers the confidence they demand, expanding the size and type of deals in this burgeoning space.”