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86 Percent of Gamers Prefer Free Games With Ads Over Paid Games Without Ads -- WildTangent and IHS Research Finds

More Gamers Spend Money, Time With Games That Have Value Exchange Ads

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - Mar 27, 2014) - IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), the leading global source of critical information and insight, and WildTangent, the world's largest cross-platform games network, released research today that reveals an acceptance by gamers of value exchange-style advertising. The result indicates significant opportunities for the gaming ecosystem.

The research found that after engaging with value exchange ads a greater number of gamers intended to spend more money, more often and engaged with games longer than before any exposure to value exchange ads, leading game developers to a higher potential for revenue. In addition, brand marketers saw a higher level of engagement than before when sponsoring value exchange ads.

To download the full report, visit: http://www.ihsapac.com/registration/2014/gameintelligenceservice/

Key findings:

• 86 percent of gamers prefer free games with ads over paid games without ads;
• 79 percent of gamers said that they like receiving free virtual goods from clicking on ads;
• 120 percent increase in the number of times gamers visited the 'add cash' area of a developer's game after seeing value exchange ad;
• 89 percent of gamers recall value exchange advertisements in game; and
• Marketers see two times more post-ad actions driven by in-game ads than by live TV

IHS Technology senior games analyst Christine Arrington was brought in to analyze the raw data. "The research shows that gamers embrace value exchange ads, which demonstrates the progress the industry has made with advertising in and around video games," she said. "As gamers become more accustomed to in-game advertising, it becomes essential for brand marketers to find creative ways to use value exchange advertising while developers must ensure gamers have easy access to these offers." 

Value exchange advertising allows advertisers to reward gamers for viewing ads with items valuable to gamers, such as in-game items or free game sessions. WildTangent's patented BrandBoost ad platform allows game developers to leverage value exchange advertising and provides advertisers a way to reach an engaged audience of gamers. "With value exchange advertising like our BrandBoost ad platform, gamers receive rewards and uninterrupted gameplay, brands connect with gaming audiences, and developers unlock additional revenue streams," said Jay Levinger, director of market research at WildTangent Media. "When value exchange ads are done right, everybody wins." 

About The Research:

IHS Technology and WildTangent released today's findings in the new whitepaper called Value Exchange Advertising in Freemium Games. In a first-of-its-kind study designed to understand how value exchange advertising impacts gamers, developers and marketers, consumer research firm Say.so connected the results of 500 freemium online gamers with their gaming behaviors using WildTangent's BrandBoost ad platform. The results revealed a positive response to value exchange advertising and opportunities for the gaming ecosystem.

For information about WildTangent Media and BrandBoost, visit: WildTangent.com/Media For more insight and analysis, visit: Technology.IHS.com 

About IHS (www.ihs.com) IHS (NYSE: IHS) is the leading source of information, insight and analytics in critical areas that shape today's business landscape. Businesses and governments in more than 165 countries around the globe rely on the comprehensive content, expert independent analysis and flexible delivery methods of IHS to make high-impact decisions and develop strategies with speed and confidence. IHS has been in business since 1959 and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, USA, IHS is committed to sustainable, profitable growth and employs more than 8,000 people in 31 countries around the world.

IHS is a registered trademark of IHS Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright © 2014 IHS Inc. All rights reserved.

About WildTangent (www.wildtangent.com)

WildTangent is a worldwide, cross-device games company focused on the distribution and monetisation of mobile, social and online games. The company has three main divisions: WildTangent Games offers a service that allows consumers to play thousands of premium games free, courtesy of brand advertisers, or they can purchase games. WildTangent Media delivers a patented mobile and digital advertising platform that connects leading brands with highly engaged audiences through premium advertising solutions. WildTangent Studios develops mobile games for iOS, Google Play, Amazon and WildTangent Games, including titles Polar Bowler and Word Science.

Contact: Amanda Russo IHS London +44 208 276 4727 Amanda.Russo@ihs.com Tim McDowd WildTangent Redmond 425-497-4613 Tim.McDowd@wildtangent.com