Study: Nielsen Examines Xbox Live's Prime Time Attributes

Like television's prime time, video games have their own overlapping peak hours, with tracking firm Nielsen pegging the sweet spot in the 7pm to 11pm range -- and according to new Nielsen data, live game content can boost player engagement. The company, best known for its long-running data collection on television watching habits, says it collaborated with Microsoft to track playtime and demographics with the Xbox Live-exclusive online game show 1 vs. 100. Nielsen found that players averaged more than 70 minutes of continuous playtime during sessions of 1 vs. 100, taking into account both the premiere 1 vs. 100 Live event with prizes and a scheduled host as well as the more practice-oriented 1 vs. 100 Extended Play. But when Extended Play data was excluded, average playtime jumped to more than 87 minutes, demonstrating much stronger player investment in the higher-stakes live show. And, importantly for the advertising firms that base many decisions on Nielsen data, that means players are sticking around for numerous rounds of advertisements, which play in between sets of questions. "In one specific case, an advertiser who placed ads within the games saw notable brand recall and lift," said Xbox Live Advertising's senior audience and analysis manager, Carolyn Fuson, according to Nielsen. "Our ability to learn more about the audience can only be a positive to those brands looking to make an impact on the growing gaming community." This data comes just as word has surfaced that Microsoft is being pitched on an Xbox Live-themed television channel, lending further support to claims that the company aims to broaden the reach of Xbox Live far behind the traditional game arena.