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Monday, March 24, 2008

DOJ Approves XM Sirius Merger

While the Department of Justice has approved the merger of Sirius and XM Satellite, it is now the FCC's turn to rule. Given technological changes from the internet, including Apple and the ipod, free radio, and even direct to home companies like Dish and Direct TV, the FCC should let this merger proceed. The landscape of enertainment is changing...

Web Games On For Nets

Want to increase the number of hits to your site, want to improve the stickiness of the brand, want to keep your audience coming back for more, then online gaming seems to be the cure!

Tha data being released indicates the growing demand for casual games as well as its interest across most demographics. As the article points out, “If you look at our audience — which ranges from pre-schoolers to parents — gaming is the No. 1 thing from an entertainment perspective online,” Youngblood said. “So if we're to be relevant to this audience, we have to make sure we're offering content that they want.”

What struck me most interesting was the revenue coming from games. While online advertising is not discussed, it is clear that there is a benefit measured by usage of these sites. Nickelodeon saw over 20 million users come to their site in January.

Most surprising was that people were also subscribing to game sites "...DirecTV has signed up more than 135,000 subscribers with interactive boxes to its $5.95 per month service, which offers such casual games as Monopoly, Slingo, Scrabble, Solitaire and poker." A pretty piece of change to Direct TV; if I do the math, that is providing almost $10 million dollars of revenue from these gaming sites!

Gaming seems to work on all levels, as applications on social networking sites, as brand builders, and as I have come to learn, as ways to build and grow affinity and loyalty programs with customers. Across devices, gaming is the impetus for change in the entertainment landscape.