Zachary Rozga: Unlocking Gaming Audiences for Savvy Brands | SIC 2024

In today's fractured media landscape, connecting with audiences—especially GenZ—is an uphill battle for brand marketers. However, there's one massive consumer arena that remains relatively untapped: the world of video gaming. With staggering numbers of engaged gamers across all demographics, this passionate community represents an amazing opportunity for brands willing to learn how to engage authentically.

This session will equip you with the facts, figures, and smart tactics needed to unlock gaming audiences without being seen as an interloper or disruptor. You'll gain insights into the immense size of the gaming market, the positive aspects that attract loyal fans, and how to leverage gaming's inherent love, passion, and competitiveness. From understanding gamer psychographics to native advertising activations, you'll walk away with a comprehensive playbook for creating genuine connections within this booming space.

1. UNLOCKING GAMING AUDIENCES FOR SAVVY BRANDS ZACHARY ROZGA , Thece, CEO

2. Movies Audience attention is split between 5 main consumers of attention. Gaming is the 4th largest consumer of audience attention behind social and ahead of movies. Gaming Sites/Apps Social Online Video Linear TV HOURS HOURS SPENT JAN-DEC 2022 TOTAL INTERNET 263M UVs +12M TOTAL INTERNET 275M UVs UNIQUE VISITORS ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA AND TOTAL INTERNET December 2019 December 2022 SOCIAL MEDIA 230M UVs +26M SOCIAL MEDIA 256M UVs CTV 62M HH +27M CTV 89M HH 45B Source: Comscore TV, Video Metrix, Box Office Essentials, Media Metrix®, All time periods Jan-Dec 22. +15M GAMING SITES/APPS 214M UVs GAMING SITES/APPS 229M UVs 1.6B Hours in Movie Theaters YTD 62B Hours YTD 210B Hours YTD 233B Hours Live+ YTD Audience Attention

3. US Ad Spend (2022) Only 5% of US ad spend is allocated to gaming but is one of the highest time spent mediums. Source: eMarketer Video Games CTV Social Video Linear TV $56.9B $67.2B $68.4B $8.6B $18.9B Share of Ad Dollars

4. Gaming content is capturing an engaged audience and still growing significantly. Source: Entertainment Software Association, Comscore Connected Home, Comscore Custom Survey Monthly Unique Visitors to Gaming Sites or Mobile Apps (Dec 2022) 229M Reach of Total Digital Population (Dec 2022) 83% Growth in Time Spent Watching Gaming Videos on Desktop (VS. Dec 2019) 183% Continuing To Grow: The Online Gaming Landscape Encompasses Millions of Homes and Devices Gaming Growth Of Gamers Play on Multiple Platforms (PC, Console, Mobile) 76%

5. Gaming Engagement by Generation Base: Total Online Population Gen Alpha and Gen Z players are more likely to engage with gaming in many ways beyond playing. Generations of Gamers Gen Alpha 94% 93% 72% 50% Total Playing Total Viewing Total Other Engagement* % of Game Enthusiasts Gen Z 90% 88% 72% 47% Millenials 82% 80% 57% 37% Gen X 67% 63% 33% 18% Baby Boomers 47% 44% 13% 5% Source: Newzoo Global Gamer Study 2023 *Total Other Engagements: Activities include following gaming channels, socializing in online communities, discussing games with others, listening to podcasts, and attending conventions.

6. % of Esports Watchers for Each Genre PC Gamers Console Gamers First-Person Shooter (FPS) 55% 54% Battle Royale 46% 54% Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) 49% 30% Sports Games 24% 46% MMORPG 31% 25% Real-Time Strategy (RTS) 19% 13% Card Games 14% 6% Other 5% 4% Top Gaming Genres Source: Comscore Custom Survey Among top games on PC, shooters pull in a high proportion of hours spent, with role playing games and mobas a strong top-3. 1 Shooters 906M 2 RPG 524M 3 MOBA 509M 4 Battle Royale 346M 5 Sports 225M 54% 49% 41% 34% 29% 16% 11% 4% First-person shooter and battle royale remain the most watched genres of esports.

7. Types of Gamers Source: Comscore Survey, November 2022 GAMERS: All gamers except those who play only on mobile. Playing a game was defined as ‘normally’ playing on a device multiple times a week and at least once in the past month. PC Gamer Mainly plays games on PC Console Gamer Mainly plays games on console (including PS4, PS5, Xbox One, X or S, Nintendo Switch) Mobile-Only Gamer Plays games only on a mobile device (phone or tablet) Multi Playform Gamer Regularly plays on more than one device

8. Single vs. Tri-platform Players Tri-platform players are more likely to view gaming video content and play more intensive genres Source: Newzoo Global Gamer Study 2023 Profile of Single vs. Tri-platform Players Base: Single-platform Players and Tri-platform Players 49% Single- platform Non-binary/Other: <1% 50% Gender 64% Tri- platform Non-binary/Other: <1% 35% Gender Top 5 genres played on any device (past 6 months) 26% 23% 23% 20% 19% Puzzle Adventure Match Arcade Racing 70% 63% 60% 56% 56% Adventure Battle Royale Shooter Arcade Racing Age 51-65 36-50 21-35 10-20 12% 27% 36% 24% Age 51-65 36-50 21-35 10-20 4% 21% 44% 31% 56% View 86% View

9. Gaming Engagement Gaming engagement continues to involve activities beyond play. Percentage of game enthusiasts 79% +0% (vs. ‘22) +0% (vs. ‘22) 76% 54% 34% Total Players Total Viewers Total Other Engagement +2% (vs. ‘22) +1% (vs. ‘22) Source: Newzoo Global Gamer Study 2023 Base: Total Online Population of the total online population have engaged with gaming in one way or another. 8/10

10. Viewing Engagement Source: Newzoo Global Gamer Study 2023 54% of the online population have viewed video game content in the past 12 months, and over a quarter watched esports. 54% Total Viewers 27% Esports Audience 100% Total Online Population 54% Total Viewers 27% Esports Audience 54% Total Viewers Total Viewers nce 27% Esports Audience Esports Audience Breakdown 49% 51% Esports Enthusiasts Occasional Esports Viewers

11. 13% 28% 34% 26% 30 Minutes to An Hour < 30 Minutes 1 to 2 Hours 2+ Hours 72% Gen Z 62% Millennials 47% Gen X 39% Boomers Gen Z and Millennials are much more likely to watch streamers in longer settings. Time Spent on Livestreams More than half of livestream watchers say they have watched for 1+ hours at a time, especially among younger gamers. What is the longest you have ever watched a single stream, in one sitting?≈ 70% Of esports watchers say they watch with others either “sometimes” or “often” Source: Comscore Custom Survey

12. Gaming Landscape Esports viewership continues to grow. Despite a 9% decline in overall live-streaming hours watched from Q2 2022 to Q2 2023, esports viewership continues to rise, up 4.1% from Q2 last year. 61% of the esports viewership this quarter was watched on Twitch , with almost ⅓ on YouTube Gaming , The remaining 6.6% was watched on other platforms. 208M + 60 % + 11 % +61% + 16 % + 4.1 % 332M 367M 592M 689M 717M Q2 2018 Q2 2019 Q2 2020 Q2 2021 Q2 2022 Q2 2023 Total hours watched across all platforms | Q2 2018- Q2 2023 Source: Stream Hatchet. Included platforms: Twitch, YouTube Gaming, Facebook Live, AfreecaTV, Steam, NaverTV, Openrec, Kick, Trovo, Loco, Rooter, and VK.

13. Brand Awareness in Gaming Attitudes towards brand advertisement and endorsement in gaming | % Completely agree/ Strongly agree/ Agree Base: Total players and/or viewers Brand collaborations in games and with streamers appear to influence purchasing decisions. Have discovered new brands while gaming 50% More likely to buy from a brand featured in favorite game(s) Bought a product or service recommended or used by favorite streamer Source: Newzoo Global Gamer Study 2023 47% 42%

14. Key Takeaways › There is a massive and growing audience across the gaming ecosystem- 229M unique visitors/83% of digital population › Only 5% of US ad spend is within gaming , leaving a untapped opportunity for advertisers › Gaming is moving beyond playing into other activities including, social, viewing and other › Gaming and game viewing continue to grow year over year › There are many opportunities for brands to get involved and engage gaming and game viewing audiences

15. Brand Opportunities in Gaming Livestream/News/ Game Coverage Publishers Event Sponsorships Mobile Games In-Game Team Partnerships Gaming & Esports Creators Game Competitions

16. The Thece Approach Thece makes it easy for brands to market in gaming. We surround brands with gaming audiences to exceed goals and KPIs. TheceReach provides media solutions across creators, teams and tentpole events to engage a growing Gen Z audience. Drive audience engagement through branded gaming challenges. Media within Livestreams Tentpole Gaming Events Engage Growing Audiences Reach 18-34 Year Olds Marketing Opportunity Drive Engagement to Brand Authentic Connections Gaming Challenges

17. Miracle-Gro!!! https://theceplay.com/miracle-gro-challenge/

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