Actually, game time doesn't limit TV or movie watching
When a high-profile video game is released, you’d expect gamers to temporarily push other media aside in order to play, but new evidence suggests that’s not the case. When the much-anticipated Xbox 360 title “Halo 3” was released, it sold $170 million in merchandise on its first day, yet it appears those who played it didn’t significantly reduce the time they spent watching TV or movies. Prior to the game’s launch, players of “Halo 3” watched an average of 27.1 hours of television per week, according to a report released today by Integrated Media Measurement Inc. But the firm says that following the launch the same group watched an average of 26.9 hours of TV per week, showing very little change. The study also showed that movie-going habits went unchanged. The study says this may be the case because most of the game-playing took place early in the day and/or on weekends, leaving plenty of time for primetime TV viewing and movie attendance.
United against News Corp.? NYT & CNBC's big deal.
Seems News Corp.’s takeover of the Wall Street Journal is making the Gray Lady nervous. The New York Times has entered an agreement to share stories with CNBC, which will in turn share video with the newspaper, leading many to speculate that the Times is nervous about the potential unwalling of WSJ.com. CNBC also has some incentive to undo any News Corp. gains. The NBC Universal business news cable channel is facing increased competition since the October launch of News Corp.’s Fox Business Network. CNBC is seeking more in-depth business reporting from the Times, while the Times plans to post CNBC videos on its web site. Both media outlets will share their breaking news with each other. Reuters reports that neither company will pay the other for its news. The Times already has a web content-sharing agreement with some other NBC Universal channels, which are owned by General Electric Co.
Study: Young people prefer MySpace to television
When given a choice between watching television and social networking for a few minutes, young people tend to choose the web over the tube, according to Future Laboratory. The MySpace-commissioned survey of 1,000 people found that those ages 18-24 were more likely to choose spending 15 minutes visiting social networking sites rather than watching television, reading, playing video games, or talking on their cell phones. The survey also found that more women spent time on social networking sites, and that 12 percent of users were hoping to make money off of MySpace in some fashion. Of course, the alternatives to social networking in the survey – especially television – tend to require more than 15 minutes of use to get any particular satisfaction out of the activity. MySpace currently claims an estimated 110 million active users.
Final numbers: Etailers take in $29.2B over holidays
Al Gore wasn’t the only one who had a green Christmas. The final figures are in, and online retailers enjoyed a big holiday shopping season. According to comScore, which tracks internet usage, internet shoppers spent $29.2 billion between Nov. 1 and Dec. 27, 2007, up 19 percent compared with the same time period in 2006. The biggest shopping day of the season was Monday, Dec. 10, also known as “Green Monday,” which saw $881 million in online sales. ComScore did note that there was some softness at the start of November, but that sales picked up to a 21 percent growth rate between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The fastest-growing online retail category was video games, consoles and accessories, which saw a 129 percent jump compared to the 2006 holiday season thanks to the popularity of Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation3 and games such as “Halo 3.” Sales of furniture, appliances and equipment were up 67 percent, event tickets sales rose 24 percent, and consumer electronics sales were up 23 percent.
