Key Takeaways
- Midia Research published a new report claiming that gamers spend more time watching videos about gaming than gaming themselves.
- It also found that 48 percent of “in-game buyers” watch video content on a monthly basis, and that these are even “high-spending” consumers.
- Midia argues that publishers should then invest more in video content, rather than simply using it for advertisement and promotion.
According a new report published last month, gamers spend more time watching videos about gaming on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch, rather than actually playing the video games themselves.
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As broken down by GamesIndustry.biz, Midia Research’s findings show that gamers spend 7.4 hours a week playing video games, and a slightly higher 8.5 hours a week watching videos about gaming.
That’s just over half of their ‘gaming’ a week, which could be anything from video essays to let’s plays and Twitch streams.
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The study further explains that 24 percent of all console/PC players, and just under half of “in-game buyers” at 48 percent, watch video game content on YouTube and Twitch every month, with the latter even being considered “high-spending gamers”.
Midia argues that revenue is then being “left on the table”, and that publishers are “ceding significant revenue opportunities — especially advertising — to third-party video platforms, even as the game market faces growth challenges”.
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It suggests that investing more in video content would allow publishers to unlock “new revenue streams”, as opposed to simply using platforms like YouTube and Twitch for advertising and promotion.
It’s time for game publishers to think about in-game video as something beyond marekting alone — Midia Research games analyst Rhys Elliott.
Elliot argues that “By reclaiming video engagement, publishers have the potential to unlock new revenue streams […] and drive growth,” as the study indeed shows that many gamers spend as much if not more time watching video content as they do gaming itself.
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