The purchasing power of gamers in Canada is substantial. In fact, in 2023, Statista Canada found the video game market had generated $7 billion in annual revenue. So how do brands reach such an influential audience? According to LG Ad Solutions’ latest report The Connected Gamer, CTV advertising is the most effective media in driving gamers’ purchase decisions.
LG shares in its report that four in 10 console gamers play games on other devices while watching TV, with 72% of gamers mostly watching streaming versus linear TV. The majority (78%) watch no-cost streaming apps that have ads. More than half (53%) watch more than two hours of FAST (free ad-supported TV) each week.
Gamers are among the most deeply engaged audiences on connected TV, with 59% of Canadian gamers agreeing that TV ads influence their decision to buy video games – 63% say they’re more likely to purchase games advertised there. The study also found that 63% of gamers have upgraded their TVs to enhance gameplay; 79% value TVs with cloud gaming capabilities, and 69% like to see video game recommendations on their TV home screen.
Canadian console gamers pay more attention to ads on streaming TV (51%), while 66% perceive them to be more relevant than traditional TV. Relevancy is important to gamers, with 84% prefering to see ads relevant to their interests and 75% prefering to see ads relevant to the content they’re watching.
Although buying games directly on the gaming console is preferred by nearly half of respondents (44%), the study also revealed that buying a physical copy of the game from a store or website (49%) is the most popular method of purchase for Canadian gamers. The country’s console gamers are open to scanning QR-enabled TV ads and purchasing after scanning, according to the report.
Half of Canadian console gamers consider themselves to be “heavy gamers” or “steady gamers.” Canadian console gamers play an average of 2.8 hours per session. Heavy gamers play a couple of times a week, while steady game play a couple of times a month. The research also identifies “opportunity gamers” who play when they have time, “selective gamers” who only play specific games, and “social gamers” who only play with others. Majority of gamers watch streaming TV, ranging from 80% for heavy gamers all the way to 61% of social gamers.
Over a third of Canadian console gamers age 18 to 34 are heavy gamers, playing more than twice a week. Nearly half of console gamers own multiple consoles, from two to more than five, while 51% own one. Playstation 5 (47%) is the most popular console followed by Nintendo Switch (45%), Playstation 4 (32%), and Xbox one (27%).
LG Ad Solutions conducted the online survey with Canadian console gamers in October 2024.
