Top 100 Countries Ranked By 2015 Game Revenues Revealed

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This year, Newzoo s Top 100 Countries By Game Revenues, the comprehensive overview of the global market, represent 99.7% of the $91.5 billion games wallet worldwide. This overview, taken from our 2015 Global Games Market Report shows that top 20 countries alone will generate an estimated $83.0 billion this year, or 90.8% of total global games revenues. The ranking shows China at number one with 2015 revenues estimated to reach $22.2 billion, eclipsing the US for the first time as the world s top games market. El Salvador takes position 100 with $11.5 million in annual revenue.

Asia Pacific Contributes Almost Half of Top 100 Revenues

In 2015, countries from the Asia Pacific region account for 47.2% of top 100 revenues, with China leading the way. Despite mobile gaming growing faster than PC gaming in China, the market is still dominated by the Computer Screen, which will generate $15.2 billion this year, or 68% of total Chinese revenues. Southeast Asia is growing faster than anywhere else, driven mainly by mobile gaming, the region s largest segment in 2015. Thailand remains Southeast Asia s biggest earner. Thai revenues will reach $338 million in 2015, up +42.2 from the previous year, making Thailand the 23rd largest games market in the world. Hot on Thailand s trail, Indonesia will gain six ranks this year to take position 24 and generate $313 million in revenues, an astounding increase of +52% on 2014. With explosive growth rates like these, it wouldn t be too surprising to see a Southeast Asian country break into the top 20 in 2016.

India Soars into the Top 20

The most notable climber in the top 20 is India, gaining five ranks this year to be the 18th largest games market in the world. Indian consumer spending is growing rapidly. In 2015, India will have 159 million gamers who will generate revenues of $428 million, up +62.0% from 2014. By 2018, the Indian games market, driven primarily by the mobile segment, will break the billion dollar mark, representing an impressive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of +49.2% for 2014-2018. This makes India one of the fastest growing games markets in the world and on its way to being a major global player. Increasingly, international companies are turning their focus to India, especially following recent news that Apple and Google have lowered the minimum price for apps and in-app purchases there. Stay tuned for our upcoming report, The Indian Games Market Review, for more insights into this dynamic and rapidly growing region.

Countries Overtaking Western European Nations

The overall Western European games market will reach $15.6 billion this year. While this represents a steady year-on-year increase of 1.9%, individual countries are losing their positions in the top 100 to faster growing regions of Southeast Asia, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. Notably, the Netherlands will lose two spots, while Belgium and Norway will lose five positions each. Mexico will gain one place to be the 13th largest games market in 2015, while further down the ranking, Argentina and Colombia will also see slight gains. Brazil remains, Latin America s leader at $1.5 billion. In Middle East and Africa, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran will also climb the ladder and overtake Western European countries in the process. Meanwhile, Germany will maintain its spot as the largest Western European games market and generate $3.7 billion, with TV/Console gaming taking the biggest share of the market.

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Native And Programmatic Advertising Set To Merge

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Both native and programmatic advertising tools have been beneficial to marketers and companies alike over the past few years, but what would happen if the two merged into one natural ecosystem We’re about to find out.

According to a report from the Business Insider, a new specification from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB for short) under the name OpenRTB 2.3 makes this possible.

With it, the company hopes to provide the “ability to serve up sponsored content that matches the look and feel of a publisher site in real time through automated processes.”

Additional research from BI Intelligence indicates that this has been coming for some time, with programmatic advertising reaching a “tipping point.” Its stats indicate that programmatic transactions will reach a majority percentage of 52% in non-search digital-ad spend, along with 30.6% of total digital ad-spend going to programmatic real-time bidding, or RTB for short. Meanwhile, 21.7% will go to non-RTB programmatic

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As you can see from the chart, the differences between RTB, programmatic and non-programmatic bids are set to go through some changes over the next few years, with a decrease in RTB and a rise in non-programmatic means. So, a fusion between native and programmatic could be likelier than expected.

There are some takeaways from the report, including the following:

  • More companies and marketers are picking up on programmatic ad-buying and selling programs. Over 80% of agencies and brands already purchase display ads programmatically, while an even greater proportion of publishers are pursuing programmatic channels as part of their sales strategies, according to surveys and our own conversations with industry participants, according to Business Insider’s report.
  • Spending on programmatic advertising is growing very fast, at around 20 percent at an annual rate.
  • Real-time bidding has become rampant with companies through programmatic means, with a five year CAGR estimated at 24 percent. RTB revenue will top over $26 billion by year-end 2020, up from $8.7 billion this year. Mobile RTB and video RTB are growing even faster, at roughly 2X the rate of programmatic overall.
  • “Trading desks” are being downsized in favor of programmatic expertise taking over in the natural ecosystem. This may speed growth in programmatic spending among agency clients.
  • Here’s how pricing is breaking down: for premium and guaranteed placements they are on the upswing, while prices continue to plummet for miscellaneous inventory.

The big conclusion from this report indicates that this could open a few doors as far as advertising circles are concerned, even though some companies would have to get used to certain results and methods. This fusion of two different advertising types could introduce some great new ideas for consumers.

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App Engagement Decreases Soon After Install

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While there are more than enough mobile apps to go, the frequency in which they’re used isn’t as frequent as most companies hope, according to a new report from Millward Brown Digital.

First reported by eMarketer, a study conducted back in August indicates that there’s a serious lack of engagement with smartphone apps. Interest usually dips after the first 24 hours of install. The survey shows that 43% of smartphone owners in the U.S. use four to six apps on an average day. Considering they have between 40 to 70 installed per device, that’s a pretty small count.

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The study also shows that 72% of smartphone owners delete an apps due to lack of use. Other reasons for removal include an app’s battery drain, or freeing up memory space.

Another study, conducted by Appsflyer in July 2015, took a closer look at engagement, and how useful it is for app marketers. Looking over 450 million installs across all of eCommerce, the report indicates that engagement drops for both iOS and Android devices after that 24 hour period, with only 3.3% of Android users and 3.2% of iOS users using an app afterward.

Organic app acquisition plays a big part, according to the Appsflyer’s report. Retention rates on Android devices after a month’s time (30 days) shows 156% greater for organic app installs than paid app installs. The chart below breaks it down even further, for both Android and iOS. As you can see, there’s quite a drop off over a period of time – which could be alarming news for marketers that rely on app success.

Now it’s just a matter of finding a solution to this problem by looking into apps that keep people around on the long-term. Social sharing applications, like Facebook and Snapchat, keep people coming back for more with a daily, even hourly, interactions. Free-to-play games like Candy Crush Soda Saga and Clash of Clans also have a high popularity rate, making big money for its producers as a result.

Will marketers find a way to keep their apps relevant It’s just a matter of time, but it never hurts to study the successes.

Why Snapchat Is A Hot Commodity For Marketers

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Some companies have been hesitant to adopt the Snapchat app, mainly due to how the content is only posted temporarily and, more importantly, the high advertising price. However, that didn’t stop [a]listdaily from advising companies to why they should hop on the bandwagon. Now, there are even more reasons to do so.

A recent AdWeek article reveals six different statistics from the popular app that show why companies should hop get involved with it now more than ever. The company’s CEO, Evan Spiegel, was quick to point out that over 16 million viewers check out the new ad-supported Sponsored Selfie Filters program a day. That makes the fee charged for ads, which can be as high as $700,000, worth it when it comes to exposure. Traditional magazine-turned-digital-juggernaut Cosmopolitan, which is one of the handpicked publishers on the app, sees three million viewers a day through Snapchat Discover, according to Digiday. 

iHeartRadio has managed to amass a huge streaming audience on Snapchat, with over 340 million impressions during its two-day music festival back in September. That’s big numbers, especially for a digital music brand like that.

Facebook should also be sweating the details from Snapchat’s popularity. A report from Piper Jaffray indicates that the app is way more popular with American teens than the social site, with 19% indicating that the mobile app is their most used social network. Instagram continues to have a steady lead with 33%, followed by Twitter (20%) and then Facebook right behind Snapchat with 15%.

Finally, the biggest stat of them all: an International Business Times report indicates that Snapchat gets an overall total of four billion video views a day. That matches the same number as Facebook’s recent video service numbers, up from three billion earlier this year.

Snapchat also played a big part at the MTV Video Music Awards. Between red-carpet coverage, backstage performances by Macklemore and Pharrell Williams, and crowd perspectives during Kanye West’s address, Snapchat managed to get twelve million viewers to tune in. That’s twice the number of those watching it on television, according to Fast Company.“With Snapchat, we’re putting our content into the pockets of 100 million millennials,” said Viacom sales chief Jeff Lucas regarding the numbers. “Snapchat is targeted television on mobile.”

The current value of Snapchat sits at $16 billion, but it operates a bit differently than most social networks. “We have two major businesses,” said Snapchat chief strategy officer Imran Khan. “One is communication, and the other is entertainment.” And they both play a part into the app’s success.

With a demographic between the ages of 13 and 34 that makes up a whopping 86% of its overall audience, Snapchat is becoming a force to be reckoned with if brands want to reach a younger demographic.

Ad Blocking: Adding Up The Numbers

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[a]listdaily reported earlier in the year about the rise in ad blocking services, and how they are concern to marketers and companies alike. The issue continues to grow, as new numbers indicate that ad blocker usage is growing faster than ever among Internet users, even on mobile.

Now the IAB has changed their tune about ad blocking. “We messed up,” said Scott Cunningham, senior vp of technology and ad operations at the IAB. “Looking back now, our scraping of dimes may have cost us dollars in consumer loyalty.” He goes on to say how not focusing on the user has directly impacted the rise of ad blocking. “The fast, scalable systems of targeting users with ever-heftier advertisements have slowed down the public Internet and drained more than a few batteries. We were so clever and so good at it that we over-engineered the capabilities of the plumbing laid down by, well, ourselves. This steamrolled the users, depleted their devices, and tried their patience.”

PageFair recently posted a series of startling numbers, in partnership with Adobe, that show just how much ad blocking is being used these days. The full report can be found here, but here’s the quick rundown.

  • Ad blocking is set to cost publishers nearly $22 billion for this year alone.
  • There are now almost 200 million active ad blocking users around the world. Right now, it sits just at 198 million.
  • Ad blocking has grown over 41% around the world over the last year.
  • U.S. ad blocking grew 48% in the last 12 months, leading up to June 2015. The total number of active users is 45 million.
  • U.K. ad blocking grew even higher, by 82%, to 12 million active users for the same time period.

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The chart breaks down just how much ad blocking has grown in the U.S. alone, going higher in penetration over the past two years by nearly double the count.

This is a cause of concern for many companies, including many of the bigger ones working their way around the market. As noted by AdWeek, YouTube has been fiddling with an ad-free subscription service to counter the many users that have been utilizing ad blocking software.

But Zack Sinclair, CEO of FairBlocker, states that YouTube is its own problem in that regard. “A lot of people blame YouTube for ad block usage,” he said. “Display ads are easy to ignore. On YouTube, you see exactly how much time is being wasted.”

Adblock Plus, AdGuard and uBlock have thrived as a result of users wanting to block these ads, although it’s leaving quite a dent in big business. Especially considering that digital video advertising has increased by almost 60% for this past year. But with almost 150 million people having some form of ad-blocking software, companies are scrambling for solutions.

Not everyone thinks that YouTube’s proposed subscription plan is a good idea, particularly Frederic Montagnon, CEO of Secret Media. “What I don’t understand, actually, is that today, for someone using ad blocking, they don’t see any ads, so they won’t see any reason to pay YouTube – or anyone – to prevent being exposed to them,” he explained.

A report from Montagnon’s company indicates that only two percent of Internet users would be willing to pay for the subscription plan to access online services, which is far from encouraging.

There is some question in terms of users blocking such ads and possibly doing harm to companies, but that isn’t stopping them from subscribing, according ad block user Ian Evans, who explains the benefits in a recent blog post. “I first began using AdBlock primarily because of YouTube,” he explained. “Before every movie trailer, every music video, every episode of Crash Course and every 90-second cat video, I had to watch a minute-long advertisement. Sometimes I could click past it after 30 seconds, but increasingly, I couldn’t. Sometimes it was longer than the video itself.”

Even Apple is taking preventive measures, recently blocking the iOS ad blocking app Been Choice from sale on the App Store, according to Business Insider. The app’s co-founder, Dave Yoon, believes it could return, but ad blocking may have put the company into a “conundrum” in terms of user privacy and the customer’s choice to use such an app.

Apple’s statement the matter is, “Apple is deeply committed to protecting customer privacy and security. We’ve removed a few apps from the App Store that install root certificates which enable the monitoring of customer network data that can in turn be used to compromise SSL/TLS security solutions. We are working closely with these developers to quickly get their apps back on the App Store, while ensuring customer privacy and security is not at risk.”

However, the question of whether they can still effectively be used for ad blocking has yet to be seen.

“They can’t let us in if we block in-app ads and iAds, could they ” Yoon asks. “We obviously don’t win by putting the biggest and arguably the best-loved company in the world in a conundrum. So we need to work with them.”

“We need to get back to the App Store without this stopping us since we’re trying to be more than an ad blocker.”

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Activision, Carl’s Jr. And Hardee’s Assemble The Ultimate Care Package

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Call of Duty: Black Ops III has been building quite a bit of steam leading into its release on the market next month, between both reveals and features to the casual audience, as well as a devoted base for eSports enthusiasts. Soon, fans of the game will be able to eat along with the action.

Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s announced a partnership today with video game publisher Activision to create a special Ultimate Care Package for customers. This includes a combo meal consisting of a special burger, fries, a drink, and a peel-and-win game featuring a variety of prizes.

This is the biggest promotional tie-in that the fast food chain has had, and it also marks Activision’s first Call of Duty tie-in with a quick-service restaurant (QSR for short). The promotion will also include a Veterans Day fundraising campaign for Activision’s Call of Duty Endowment program, in addition to a national ad campaign featuring the return of model Charlotte McKinney.

Call of Duty is the most beloved video game franchise in the world and one of the biggest entertainment brands of all-time, so partnering with Activision for the launch of the new Call of Duty: Black Ops III presents a great opportunity to bring our brands together, says Brad Haley, chief marketing officer for Carl s Jr. and Hardee s restaurants. Our target customers love burgers, like our new Tex Mex Bacon Thickburger, and Call of Duty, so the two have now come together in an Ultimate Care Package combo meal, complete with customized Call of Duty packaging that includes a peel-and-win game piece for a chance to win epic Black Ops III prizes.

The giveaway will consist of a number of prizes, including a three-day trip to Los Angeles and a tour of the Treyarch development studio, as well as Astro gaming headsets, a “Take Out” personalization pack for immediate use in the game, and other Call of Duty oriented gear.

Rob Kostich, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Call of Duty, added, We re thrilled to partner with Carl s Jr. and Hardee s on this far-reaching program that truly benefits the entire Call of Duty community. This unique collaboration and campaign gives fans across the country a chance to win some great prizes in-game and in-restaurant, and, importantly, creates a special activation for our military veterans. We are very thankful to Carl s Jr. and Hardee s for their support of the Call of Duty Endowment, whose sole purpose is to drive our shared passion to put as many of our returning veterans into high quality jobs as possible.

Less fattening Call of Duty: Black Ops III promotions include a revamped World League that will launch a new tournament in 2016, a special edition that comes with desktop Juggernog mini-fridge,and an exclusive PlayStation 4 bundle that features a specially designed console and controller.

As Twitter Plots Its Next Steps, Instagram May Skip Ahead

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Instagram turned out to be a lucrative investment for Facebook, which bought the photo/video sharing site in 2012 for a billion dollars. It has since garnered 400 million users, and it’s still on the rise. Now a new report from Adotas suggests that it could be putting Twitter to shame.

eMarketer provided numbers indicating that Instagram’s global ad revenue will reach $600 million this year, and will increase even further to $1.5 billion next year and $2.8 billion in 2017. Additionally, its thriving advertising program will enable it to compete, and perhaps outpace, Twitter in terms of both ad revenue and users.

Twitter’s new CEO Jack Dorsey stated that the reason that Twitter may be lagging behind is due to the lack of bold product changes. He also cites a lack of discipline within the company, and not giving the employees the clear company vision they deserve.

As for Instagram, it’s on the rise globally, with more than 75% of users living outside of the U.S., including Brazil, Japan and Indonesia, making up a big chunk of the audience.

That said, Twitter isn’t counting itself out, even in the face of Instagram’s meteoric rise. It has plans to launch a new Lightning service for a better handle on live events. Furthermore, Re/Code reports that in spite of recent layoffs within the company, Dorsey has noted that big things will come from the smaller team.

Former Microsoft exec Steve Ballmer, who became the new owner of the Los Angeles Clippers last year, is investing a substantial amount into Twitter (a 4% stake) according to a separate Re/Code report, and he’s not the only one putting a lot of faith and money into the company. Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal invested a five percent stake around the same time.

Whether these big changes can translate to bigger audience numbers has yet to be seen. Now it’s just a matter of seeing what Twitter’s next move will be.

We’ll find out more from the company when it reports its financials on October 27th.

China’s Gaming Revenue Is Officially Outpacing The U.S.

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It has been just over a year since China lifted its longstanding ban on console sales, but Chinese gamers haven’t wasted any time diving in.

A report published by Newzoo lists the top 100 countries according to game revenues, and China takes the top spot by bringing in roughly $22.2 billion. In comparison, the U.S. took in around $21.9 billion, which puts it at a close second place, and outpaces the next three countries on the list (Japan, S. Korea, and Germany) combined. Both China and the U.S. taken together represent almost half of the $91 billion in global revenues earned by the gaming industry.

Newzoo report

The top 10 countries for gaming revenue are: China, The United States of America, Japan, South Korea, Germany, The United Kingdom, France, Canada, Spain, and Italy. The last three have close numbers to each other.

Newzoo also reveals in a separate report that the highest earning game company in world is the Chinese owned Tencent Holdings Ltd, which has stakes in other game companies such as League of Legends developer Riot Games, Activision Blizzard, and Epic Games, makers of the Unreal Engine. Sony, Microsoft, EA, Activision are all listed respectively behind Tencent.

China continues to be an important and fast-growing market in Asia, but it isn’t alone. Japan and South Korea are third and fourth place earners, while Southeast Asia – particularly Thailand and Indonesia – are potential up-and-comers.

The massive growth in game revenues in China shouldn’t be much of a shock, considering how the country has been a market leader in mobile apps and saw explosive growth in mobile for quite some time, inspiring mobile game companies like Kabam and others to push aggressively into the market. Earlier this year, Kabam’s COO Kent Wakeford saw China as the company’s opportunity to develop the first “billion dollar video game.”

That same sentiment was heard when [a]listdaily spoke to Golden Gate Games co-founder Keith McCurdy, who described China’s mobile market as being on a “It’s on a hyper-growth trajectory,” doubling each year. McCurdy also remarked that at the time, “In the top ten games, five of them are Western games, things like Plants Vs. Zombies and Subway Surfers. There’s a huge, fast-growing market, and there’s a proven appetite for Western content.”

The Chinese love gaming, and they love being Number One, and now we have further evidence of that.

Millions of People Are Watching These 10 Influencers On Periscope

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These folks aren’t limiting themselves to just 6.5 seconds anymore. Nope! Periscope has been offering live streamers and their viewers an altogether different experience where live interaction is at the core. Here are Periscope’s finest, who are offering millions of viewers a candid conversation, a peep into their lives and more.