Telcos that operate large content platforms incorporating games download and keep track of their registered customers’ interests and media habits can further benefit by providing user profiles to in-game advertisers.  

Next Steps

Operators need to act fast in-order to establish their position before OEM’s, independent players and other media operators take an irreversible hold over the market.

In a first step, a matching of the existing customer structure with typical gaming segments will help evaluating the revenue potential of a portfolio extension into gaming. Quick wins can be achieved by creating partnerships with the gaming industry for product or service bundles, thereby acknowledging the existence of gamers as a valued customer group.

In the medium term, operators need to find out how to incorporate gaming offers into their content portals taking care to integrate offers in a coherent way and to find a balance between control of the service and an attractive revenue share while still attracting the right partners to create a best in class service for their customers.

Given the considerable effort many operators have already undertaken to play a major role in the converging Media and ICT worlds, “Game Over” shouldn’t be valid proposition.  

___________________________

[1] http://www.ygchartz.com

[2] The Entertainment Software Association; http://www.theesa.com/facts/index.asp

[3] Strategy Analytics; Mobile Gaming Market Update

[4] ibid

[5] Yankee Group, 2007