Today, Nielsen will announce plans for a new service called Nielsen Video Games that will measure exposure to ads in video games. The ratings company will also release preliminary findings from its Total Viewing Sources report on usage of the television to play video games. The study claims 7 to 8 percent of men 18-34 and 15 percent of teens are playing video games during prime time.
Unlike conventional Nielsen television ratings, the new Video Games service will measure actual ad exposure and ad recall. Already, preliminary research has shown 27 percent of male gamers have noticed in-game ads and 70 percent say the placement of real products in-game make the game a more realistic experience.
Now if only Nielsen could hurry up and do the same for measurement of TV ads instead of the antiquated programming method in place today.
