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Friday, May 2, 2008

Viacom Sees Q1 Earnings Jump Due to Rock Band

My 8 year old son wants Rock Band. He already has a Wii, PS2, and Nintendo DS. And believe it or not, we actually limit game time each day; otherwise, he would be working any one of these machines constantly. Will he get the whole band, or just guitar hero, I'm not sure yet; but at $190, its pretyy expensive for a young boy.

What is apparent is how important interactive gaming is to the future of entertainment. If he could play along to American Idol, it could be a rating boost. This next generation is limiting their TV time as they expand their enterertainment choices across new media. With so many hours in a day, something has to give and it isn't going to be his homework, so it is a reduction in TV viewing.

Thus it becomes clear that the best way to keep this audience engaged is to combine the best of both worlds. Watch Hannah Montana as you play with the microphone and dance moves; attack the Pokemon through the TV show. I expect more gaming tie-ins to programming; that's how we keep the younger audience further engaged to the TV programming and the brand.