Despite bumpy days for the gaming industry during the start of 2021, it looks like Nintendo continued to stay on top of its advertising game in the west!

According to VentureBeat and iSpot.tv, Nintendo “flat-out dominated video game national TV advertising for the first half of 2021” in the US – beating both Sony and Microsoft to the top spot. Overall, Nintendo commands 68% of the industry’s total ad impressions in 2021 so far, and is currently responsible for 47.7% of the industry’s overall TV ad spend during the year.

In comparison, Sony’s PlayStation commanded 20.2% of TV ad impressions and was responsible for 30.2% the industry’s overall TV ad spend in 2021. Microsoft’s Xbox, meanwhile, commanded 4.4% of TV ad impressions and was responsible for 13.6% the industry’s overall TV ad spend in 2021.

Here’s a further breakdown of Nintendo’s TV advertising patterns:

• Nintendo aired 79 spots in total, primarily on kids-focused programs.
• The top five networks by impressions for Nintendo ads included Nick (26%), Disney (24%), Cartoon Network (22%), Nick Toons (6.5%), and Disney XD (3.6%).
• The top shows were SpongeBob SquarePants, The Amazing World of Gumball, The Loud House, Big City Greens, and Teen Titans Go!
• Nintendo primarily advertised specific Switch games, led by Super Mario 3D World, Pokémon, Among Us, Animal Crossing, and Mario Golf in the first half of 2021.
• Three of Nintendo’s top five spots (by TV ad impressions) garnered at least 5% more attention than the norm for video game ads during the first half of 2021.
• Nintendo’s top ad was ‘My Way: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury‘, with the following stats:
  • Impressions: 301.6 million
  • Estimated spend: $1.29 million
  • Airings: 2,479
  • Top network: Disney Channel
  • Top show: SpongeBob SquarePants

We’ll report back as we receive more advertising figures in the future. Stay tuned!