Ads of February 2023

Key insights

6 takeaways

01
PlayStation's partnership with streamer IlloJuan to promote PlayStation Plus news generated 346K hours watched and a peak viewership of 57.9K.
02
Warner Bros. Games promoted the launch of Hogwarts Legacy through streamer alanzoka, achieving 316K hours watched and 55.7K peak viewers.
03
The launch campaign for the game Atomic Heart, led by 4Divinity/Focus Entertainment and streamer IlloJuan, reached 294K hours watched and a 60K peak viewership, contributing to the game's 12 million hours watched during its release week.
04
Hello Fresh led non-gaming brand activations in February 2023, with a partnership with streamer Joueur_du_Grenier generating 56.1K hours watched and 16.6K peak viewers.
05
TurboTax utilized the 'TurboTax Expert Invitational' tournament featuring streamer NiceWigg to reach young professional gamers, achieving 40.7K hours watched and a list-high 35.3K peak viewers.
06
Ebay targeted the collectible trading card market by partnering with streamer boxbox to launch the Ebay Vault, resulting in 29.1K hours watched and 9.6K peak viewers.

Summary

The February 2023 landscape for live streaming brand activations was defined by high-impact partnerships between major publishers and prominent content creators. The primary objective of these campaigns was to leverage the reach of popular streamers to drive engagement for new game releases and service updates. Gaming-focused activations dominated the month, with PlayStation, Warner Bros. Games, and the 4Divinity/Focus Entertainment partnership securing the top three spots in terms of hours watched.

PlayStation led the gaming category by partnering with streamer IlloJuan to promote its subscription service, generating 346,000 hours watched. Warner Bros. Games followed with a 316,000-hour performance via a partnership with alanzoka for the launch of Hogwarts Legacy, a campaign that significantly contributed to the title’s record-breaking concurrent viewership. Meanwhile, 4Divinity and Focus Entertainment utilized a multi-creator strategy for the launch of Atomic Heart, which successfully propelled the game into the top 10 most-watched titles during its release week.

Non-gaming brands also successfully penetrated the live streaming space by aligning with the specific habits and demographics of gaming audiences. Hello Fresh, TurboTax, and the eBay Vault emerged as the top non-gaming advertisers. TurboTax notably utilized an esports-style tournament, the TurboTax Expert Invitational, to engage young professionals, while the eBay Vault targeted the platform’s established community of trading card collectors. These findings underscore a broader industry trend where brands are increasingly moving beyond traditional display ads to create integrated, community-focused experiences that resonate with the unique culture of live streaming platforms.