IGA Worldwide and NBC Universal Enter Strategic Relationship
Tuesday 30th October/...IGA Worldwide, Inc., the largest independent in-game advertising network, and NBC Universal Digital Media today announced they have entered into a multi-faceted agreement. Through this new relationship, the NBC Universal Digital Media Advertising Sales team will now have the opportunity to sell a portion of IGA's premium in-game advertising inventory, as well as create customized packages for marketing clients on the IGA network.
"We couldn't be more proud to partner with NBC Universal Digital Media, the leading advertising sales force in the industry, to offer strategic, innovative placements for both their current and future clients, said Justin Townsend, CEO, IGA Worldwide. "The partnership is validation that in-game advertising is an important part of the media mix for advertisers of all sizes as well as the publishers in our network."
"We are focused on creating multi-platform solutions for our marketing clients, ensuring they achieve their campaign goals and connect with engaged consumers wherever they are spending their time," said Nick Johnson, Vice President, NBC Universal Digital Media Advertising Sales. "The virtual world and gaming space is one of the fastest growing mediums around. Working with IGA, the global independent leader in in-game advertising solutions, we will now, in addition to TV, web and Mobile, be able to offer marketers a whole new opportunity to reach a highly engaged and ever-growing audience."
With in-game advertising spending expected to grow 33% a year over the next five years and faster than online advertising , IGA Worldwide is at the forefront of this new strategic advertising medium, offering a unique 360 degree advertising solution that helps brands to understand and exploit the rich and diverse opportunities available now and in the future. Through its proprietary ad serving network Radial, IGA enables advertisers to target millions of engaged consumers across a wide range of platforms and genres while they play.
In July, GE/NBC Universal's Peacock Equity Fund participated in IGA's $25 million Series B investment round, for which JMP Securities was the consulting investment bank.
About IGA Worldwide
IGA Worldwide, Inc. ( www.igaworldwide.com) is the largest in-game advertising company with a proprietary ad serving network. The IGA Worldwide Radial network enables advertisers to target millions of engaged gamers across a wide range of platforms and genres. IGA Worldwide has already delivered campaigns for diverse brands such as; 20th Century Fox, Ben Sherman, Discovery, FHM, Hawaiian Airlines, Intel, Jeep, MTV, and T-Mobile. IGA Worldwide also provides strategic consulting services including integrated product placement and promotion through its wholly-owned communications consultancy, Hive, a trading name of IGA Hive Ltd. Headquartered in New York with offices in London and Berlin, the group is backed by GE/NBC Universal's Peacock Equity Fund, Easton Capital Group, Intel Capital, Morgenthaler Ventures, DN Capital and KTB Ventures.
About NBC Universal Digital Media
NBC Universal Digital Media leads the company's content and distribution efforts related to new and emerging digital platforms. Partnering with content leaders across the business, NBC Universal Digital Media works to extend the television and film experience by adding broadband, mobile and other digital extensions to NBCU properties. In May 2006, iVillage became NBCU's largest stand-alone digital platform. It is the leading online destination for women, featuring rich media content and community for women at various stages of life. NBCU's wide range of Wireless offerings include two linear television channels, NBC2Go and NBC News2Go, available through the MediaFLO service. Primetime and Cable video-on-demand, as well as linear channels, are available on MobiTV. Other mobile offerings include many new WAP sites, mobile gaming from Universal Mobile Entertainment, SMS texting and a variety of news and entertainment videos available on most major carriers. NBCU Digital Media is also responsible for launching innovative digital businesses and is currently partnering with News Corporation to launch a premium video site later this year. Additionally, the NBC Universal Digital Studios created a variety of engaging video content for broadband and wireless including "A Big Life with Sissy Biggers" on MSN Originals and "Watch What Happens," on BravoTV.com