It's been almost a year since the last time I opened a thread on the matter
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=816130
And E3 2015 is approaching fast, so I think it's not a bad idea to make a brand new analysis on what's currently the main channel used by Nintendo to promote their products online, Nintendo Directs/Nintendo videos in general that aren't Direct (like Treehouse videos).
So, last year has been characterised by a distint lack of general Directs, while we've had a good amount of game-specific presentations, this probably due to Iwata's sickness. But we've had the fantastic E3 coverage, between the Digital Event and the Treehouse Live Streamings. The Digital Event showed how the pre-recorded presentation can be used at your own advantage by making it more entertaining (Reggie v.s. Iwata, Robot Chicken) while still informative, and Treehouse live streamings were welcoming and "human", while also showing games in a great way. Lots of praise for them, so I think it's superflous to talk too much about them. But, after last year's E3? More game-specific presentations, Xenoblade Chronicles X's specific videos and, starting from last November, the return of the more classic Directs.
So, what are the results achieved by Nintendo main videos, from last year to...a few days ago (Xenoblade Chronicles X NA streaming)? Well, let's see what YouTube tells us
Clarification: I'm using YouTube as popularity index because, while Directs can be seen through eShop, that's a channel for those who already are Nintendo fans / have a Nintendo console, while YouTube is for everyone, so also who doesn't have a Nintendo console currently. So, in theory, more views = more people without a Nintendo console reached, possibly.
2011/2012
General Directs
Nintendo Direct 10.21.11 - 93,378 - 1,059 likes / 347 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 2.22.12 - 378,631 - 1,291 likes / 91 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 6.21.12 - 478,681 - 2,044 likes / 111 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 10.25.12 - 102,477 - 1,232 likes / 32 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 12.5.12 - 104,177 - 2,052 likes / 93 dislikes
Special Directs
Nintendo Direct Pre E3 2012 - 1,025,697 - 8,333 likes / 568 dislikes
Wii U Preview Presentation (a little cheating, but, elsewhere, it was a Direct, so...) - 282,589
Nintendo Direct Mini - NSMB2 - 474,971 - 859 likes / 52 dislikes
Nintendo Direct Mini: NSMB2 - 11.27.12 - 72,179 - 1,232 likes / 25 dislikes
2013
General Directs
Nintendo Direct: Wii U Games - 401,306 - 6,329 likes / 133 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 2.14.2013 - 362,616 - 4,474 likes / 128 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 4.17.2013 - 327,387 - 4,891 likes / 137 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 5.17.13 - 226,655 - 3,888 likes / 455 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 8.7.13 - 236,336 - 4,621 likes / 126 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 10.1.13 - 230,974 - 5,665 likes / 102 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 11.13.13 - 251,489 - 5,301 likes / 169 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 12.18.13 - 352,134 - 8,778 likes / 146 dislikes
Special Directs
Pokémon Direct 1.8.2013 - 658,421 - 10,467 likes / 168 dislikes
Nintendo Direct @E3 2013 - 1,743,841 - 14,929 likes / 940 dislikes
Nintendo Direct Mini 7.18.13 - 196,204 - 3,849 likes / 131 dislikes
The Wonderful 101 Direct 8.9.13 - 79,853 - 1,446 likes / 26 dislikes
Pokémon Direct 9.4.13 - 324,461 - 6,204 likes / 131 dislikes
Wii Fit U Direct 9.18.13 - 102,943 - 2,160 likes / 125 dislikes
Nintendo Direct: 3DS Louvre Guide - 56,037 - 1,854 likes / 53 dislikes
2014
General Directs
Nintendo Direct 2.13.14 - 517,677 - 7,324 likes / 292 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 11.5.14 - 816,519 - 11,420 likes / 211 dislikes
Special Directs
Super Smash Bros. Direct 4.8.14 - 1,934,152 - 31,550 likes / 370 dislikes
Tomodachi Life Direct 4.10.14 - 1,057,601 - 15,601 likes / 393 dislikes
Mario Kart 8 Direct 4.30.14 - 818,839 - 14,470 likes / 256 dislikes
Hyrule Warriors Direct 8.4.14 - 448,687 - 7,449 likes / 118 dislikes
Bayonetta 2 Direct 9.4.14 - 191,876 - 3,901 likes / 94 dislikes
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U 50-Fact Extravaganza 10.23.14 - 2,792,005 - 32,741 likes / 1,079 dislikes
2014: other videos
Play Nintendo 4.29.14 - 1,104,483 - 25,351 likes / 533 dislikes
Mega 64 infiltrates Nintendo - 146,126 - 5,960 likes / 108 dislikes
Total - 1,250,609 - 31,311 likes / 641 dislikes
Nintendo E3 Digital Event
Nintendo - 1,155,051 - 14,488 likes / 178 dislikes
IGN - 70,184 - 1,253 likes / 77 dislikes
Gamestop - 266,869 - 2,764 likes / 106 dislikes
Total - 1,492,104 - 18,505 likes / 361 dislikes
2014: Treehouse
Live @ The Treehouse - 115,934 - 4,119 likes / 156 dislikes
Day 1: Xenoblade Chronicles X - 362,701 - 3,436 likes / 60 dislikes
Day 1: Mario Maker - 266,189 - 1,153 likes / 75 dislikes
Day 1: Hyrule Warriors - 220,124 - 1,943 likes / 44 dislikes
Day 1: Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker - 202,211 - 1,004 likes / 48 dislikes
Day 1: Splatoon (Part 1) - 138,106 - 1,386 likes / 30 dislikes
Day 1: Shigeru Miyamoto - 84,766 - 1,186 likes / 12 dislikes
Day 2: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - 454,092 - 3,412 likes / 95 dislikes
Day 2: Mario Maker - 374,409 - 2,163 likes / 97 dislikes
Day 2: Yoshi's Wolly World - 231,011 - 1,744 likes / 42 dislikes
Day 2: Splatoon (Part 2) - 149,449 - 1,308 likes / 35 dislikes
Day 2: Mario Party 10 - 120,659 - 587 likes / 85 dislikes
Day 2: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Part 1 - 115,003 - 1,109 likes / 16 dislikes
Day 2: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate - 46,518 - 715 likes / 12 dislikes
Day 2: Mario vs. Donkey Kong - 44,221 - 271 likes / 19 dislikes
Day 2: Swords and Soldiers 2 - 22,591 - 284 likes / 10 dislikes
Day 2: Bayonetta 2 - 22,167 - 509 likes / 13 dislikes
Day 2: Project Giant Robot - 21,981 - 268 likes / 7 dislikes
Day 2: Fantasy Life - 20,858 - 309 likes / 3 dislikes
Day 2: Affordable Space Adventures - 20,420 - 294 likes / 12 dislikes
Day 2: Shovel Knight - 14,317 - 293 likes / 5 dislikes
Day 2: Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition - 12,333 - 187 likes / 4 dislikes
Day 3: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - 159,467 - 1,861 likes / 29 dislikes
Day 3: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Part 2 - 101,240 - 1,035 likes / 14 dislikes
Day 3: Fantasy Life - 69,571 - 776 likes / 18 dislikes
Day 3: Wii Sports Club - Baseball - 63,988 - 407 likes / 19 dislikes
Day 3: Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. - 52,646 - 570 likes / 11 dislikes
Day 3: Devil's Third - 39,471 - 801 likes / 34 dislikes
Day 3: Splatoon - 38,022 - 629 likes / 8 dislikes
Day 3: Yoshi's Wolly World - 33,936 - 514 likes / 8 dislikes
Day 3: Bayonetta 2 - 30,199 - 722 likes / 7 dislikes
Day 3: Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. - 12,779 - 199 likes / 7 dislikes
Day 3: Project Guard - 12,442 - 182 likes / 9 dislikes
2015
General Directs
Nintendo Direct - 1.14.15 - 876,110 - 10,830 likes / 549 dislikes
Nintendo Direct - 4.1.15 - 919,964 - 13,039 likes / 579 dislikes
2015: other videos
Xenoblade Chronicles X Video Showcase 4.24.15 - 135,222 - 4,104 likes / 86 dislikes
2015: Treehouse
Live with Splatoon - 370,689 - 2,490 likes / 31 dislikes
Live with Xenoblade Chronicles X - 65,224 - 1,839 likes / 48 dislikes
Given the datas, what can be seen?
Well, it seems that general Nintendo Directs have a much bigger audience compared to 2013. Back then, they were mostly around 300,000-400,000 views per video, with the peak reached by the February 2014 one, with over 500,000 views. However, the last 3 general Directs well over 800,000 views...and the most recent one is actually the most viewed general Direct right now, with over 910,000 views in not even a month since it was posted. What happened to get such a huge increase of viewers? These Directs have been characterised by
- Iwata being the main host, alongside Reggie/Bill Trinen/Damon "Nindie love" Baker, with them being alternated during the Direct
- at least one major announcement per Direct (Majora's Mask 3D/Fire Emblem if/SMT x FE being renamed and officially revealed)
- indies getting their own showreel and attention during the presentation
So, it's not like they've completely reinvented their Direct presentations to achieve this new results. There's more showmanship for sure, and indies seemingly get more air, but it's not so different from the past presentations. So, what happened?
IMHO, even if not displayed by YT numbers, the E3 presentation (Digital Event + Treehouse), alongside the more creative game-specific Directs really helped Nintendo in getting more people interested in their news channels, and now there are more people who follow closely Nintendo news thanks to the Directs. It's possible that a good part of those new viewers were Nintendo fans who already had the consoles and was already interested in those games, but the increase is so huge that I think there's a decent part of the new followers can be people who were interested in Nintendo stuff, but weren't so dedicated to be costantly informed about them, and the Directs caught their attention/people who weren't that interested in Nintendo and that, now, are more interested.
There's more people following Nintendo official news channel now, and it'll be interesting to see how the company will leverage on this bigger attention at the upcoming E3. Their initiatives last year were a resounding success, and it's normal to expect them to follow what they did in 2014, with some changes (Splatoon tournament?) / possibly improvements (the DE pace, while good, could've been better).
Opinion time
What do you think about this recent increase in views on YouTube? What do you think it's going to be the following steps for further improvements in how Nintendo Directs are portrayed / received / watched? What would you like to see at this year's E3, in terms of initiatives?
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=816130
And E3 2015 is approaching fast, so I think it's not a bad idea to make a brand new analysis on what's currently the main channel used by Nintendo to promote their products online, Nintendo Directs/Nintendo videos in general that aren't Direct (like Treehouse videos).
So, last year has been characterised by a distint lack of general Directs, while we've had a good amount of game-specific presentations, this probably due to Iwata's sickness. But we've had the fantastic E3 coverage, between the Digital Event and the Treehouse Live Streamings. The Digital Event showed how the pre-recorded presentation can be used at your own advantage by making it more entertaining (Reggie v.s. Iwata, Robot Chicken) while still informative, and Treehouse live streamings were welcoming and "human", while also showing games in a great way. Lots of praise for them, so I think it's superflous to talk too much about them. But, after last year's E3? More game-specific presentations, Xenoblade Chronicles X's specific videos and, starting from last November, the return of the more classic Directs.
So, what are the results achieved by Nintendo main videos, from last year to...a few days ago (Xenoblade Chronicles X NA streaming)? Well, let's see what YouTube tells us
Clarification: I'm using YouTube as popularity index because, while Directs can be seen through eShop, that's a channel for those who already are Nintendo fans / have a Nintendo console, while YouTube is for everyone, so also who doesn't have a Nintendo console currently. So, in theory, more views = more people without a Nintendo console reached, possibly.
2011/2012
General Directs
Nintendo Direct 10.21.11 - 93,378 - 1,059 likes / 347 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 2.22.12 - 378,631 - 1,291 likes / 91 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 6.21.12 - 478,681 - 2,044 likes / 111 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 10.25.12 - 102,477 - 1,232 likes / 32 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 12.5.12 - 104,177 - 2,052 likes / 93 dislikes
Special Directs
Nintendo Direct Pre E3 2012 - 1,025,697 - 8,333 likes / 568 dislikes
Wii U Preview Presentation (a little cheating, but, elsewhere, it was a Direct, so...) - 282,589
Nintendo Direct Mini - NSMB2 - 474,971 - 859 likes / 52 dislikes
Nintendo Direct Mini: NSMB2 - 11.27.12 - 72,179 - 1,232 likes / 25 dislikes
2013
General Directs
Nintendo Direct: Wii U Games - 401,306 - 6,329 likes / 133 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 2.14.2013 - 362,616 - 4,474 likes / 128 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 4.17.2013 - 327,387 - 4,891 likes / 137 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 5.17.13 - 226,655 - 3,888 likes / 455 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 8.7.13 - 236,336 - 4,621 likes / 126 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 10.1.13 - 230,974 - 5,665 likes / 102 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 11.13.13 - 251,489 - 5,301 likes / 169 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 12.18.13 - 352,134 - 8,778 likes / 146 dislikes
Special Directs
Pokémon Direct 1.8.2013 - 658,421 - 10,467 likes / 168 dislikes
Nintendo Direct @E3 2013 - 1,743,841 - 14,929 likes / 940 dislikes
Nintendo Direct Mini 7.18.13 - 196,204 - 3,849 likes / 131 dislikes
The Wonderful 101 Direct 8.9.13 - 79,853 - 1,446 likes / 26 dislikes
Pokémon Direct 9.4.13 - 324,461 - 6,204 likes / 131 dislikes
Wii Fit U Direct 9.18.13 - 102,943 - 2,160 likes / 125 dislikes
Nintendo Direct: 3DS Louvre Guide - 56,037 - 1,854 likes / 53 dislikes
2014
General Directs
Nintendo Direct 2.13.14 - 517,677 - 7,324 likes / 292 dislikes
Nintendo Direct 11.5.14 - 816,519 - 11,420 likes / 211 dislikes
Special Directs
Super Smash Bros. Direct 4.8.14 - 1,934,152 - 31,550 likes / 370 dislikes
Tomodachi Life Direct 4.10.14 - 1,057,601 - 15,601 likes / 393 dislikes
Mario Kart 8 Direct 4.30.14 - 818,839 - 14,470 likes / 256 dislikes
Hyrule Warriors Direct 8.4.14 - 448,687 - 7,449 likes / 118 dislikes
Bayonetta 2 Direct 9.4.14 - 191,876 - 3,901 likes / 94 dislikes
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U 50-Fact Extravaganza 10.23.14 - 2,792,005 - 32,741 likes / 1,079 dislikes
2014: other videos
Play Nintendo 4.29.14 - 1,104,483 - 25,351 likes / 533 dislikes
Mega 64 infiltrates Nintendo - 146,126 - 5,960 likes / 108 dislikes
Total - 1,250,609 - 31,311 likes / 641 dislikes
Nintendo E3 Digital Event
Nintendo - 1,155,051 - 14,488 likes / 178 dislikes
IGN - 70,184 - 1,253 likes / 77 dislikes
Gamestop - 266,869 - 2,764 likes / 106 dislikes
Total - 1,492,104 - 18,505 likes / 361 dislikes
2014: Treehouse
Live @ The Treehouse - 115,934 - 4,119 likes / 156 dislikes
Day 1: Xenoblade Chronicles X - 362,701 - 3,436 likes / 60 dislikes
Day 1: Mario Maker - 266,189 - 1,153 likes / 75 dislikes
Day 1: Hyrule Warriors - 220,124 - 1,943 likes / 44 dislikes
Day 1: Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker - 202,211 - 1,004 likes / 48 dislikes
Day 1: Splatoon (Part 1) - 138,106 - 1,386 likes / 30 dislikes
Day 1: Shigeru Miyamoto - 84,766 - 1,186 likes / 12 dislikes
Day 2: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - 454,092 - 3,412 likes / 95 dislikes
Day 2: Mario Maker - 374,409 - 2,163 likes / 97 dislikes
Day 2: Yoshi's Wolly World - 231,011 - 1,744 likes / 42 dislikes
Day 2: Splatoon (Part 2) - 149,449 - 1,308 likes / 35 dislikes
Day 2: Mario Party 10 - 120,659 - 587 likes / 85 dislikes
Day 2: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Part 1 - 115,003 - 1,109 likes / 16 dislikes
Day 2: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate - 46,518 - 715 likes / 12 dislikes
Day 2: Mario vs. Donkey Kong - 44,221 - 271 likes / 19 dislikes
Day 2: Swords and Soldiers 2 - 22,591 - 284 likes / 10 dislikes
Day 2: Bayonetta 2 - 22,167 - 509 likes / 13 dislikes
Day 2: Project Giant Robot - 21,981 - 268 likes / 7 dislikes
Day 2: Fantasy Life - 20,858 - 309 likes / 3 dislikes
Day 2: Affordable Space Adventures - 20,420 - 294 likes / 12 dislikes
Day 2: Shovel Knight - 14,317 - 293 likes / 5 dislikes
Day 2: Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition - 12,333 - 187 likes / 4 dislikes
Day 3: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - 159,467 - 1,861 likes / 29 dislikes
Day 3: Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS Part 2 - 101,240 - 1,035 likes / 14 dislikes
Day 3: Fantasy Life - 69,571 - 776 likes / 18 dislikes
Day 3: Wii Sports Club - Baseball - 63,988 - 407 likes / 19 dislikes
Day 3: Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. - 52,646 - 570 likes / 11 dislikes
Day 3: Devil's Third - 39,471 - 801 likes / 34 dislikes
Day 3: Splatoon - 38,022 - 629 likes / 8 dislikes
Day 3: Yoshi's Wolly World - 33,936 - 514 likes / 8 dislikes
Day 3: Bayonetta 2 - 30,199 - 722 likes / 7 dislikes
Day 3: Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. - 12,779 - 199 likes / 7 dislikes
Day 3: Project Guard - 12,442 - 182 likes / 9 dislikes
2015
General Directs
Nintendo Direct - 1.14.15 - 876,110 - 10,830 likes / 549 dislikes
Nintendo Direct - 4.1.15 - 919,964 - 13,039 likes / 579 dislikes
2015: other videos
Xenoblade Chronicles X Video Showcase 4.24.15 - 135,222 - 4,104 likes / 86 dislikes
2015: Treehouse
Live with Splatoon - 370,689 - 2,490 likes / 31 dislikes
Live with Xenoblade Chronicles X - 65,224 - 1,839 likes / 48 dislikes
Given the datas, what can be seen?
Well, it seems that general Nintendo Directs have a much bigger audience compared to 2013. Back then, they were mostly around 300,000-400,000 views per video, with the peak reached by the February 2014 one, with over 500,000 views. However, the last 3 general Directs well over 800,000 views...and the most recent one is actually the most viewed general Direct right now, with over 910,000 views in not even a month since it was posted. What happened to get such a huge increase of viewers? These Directs have been characterised by
- Iwata being the main host, alongside Reggie/Bill Trinen/Damon "Nindie love" Baker, with them being alternated during the Direct
- at least one major announcement per Direct (Majora's Mask 3D/Fire Emblem if/SMT x FE being renamed and officially revealed)
- indies getting their own showreel and attention during the presentation
So, it's not like they've completely reinvented their Direct presentations to achieve this new results. There's more showmanship for sure, and indies seemingly get more air, but it's not so different from the past presentations. So, what happened?
IMHO, even if not displayed by YT numbers, the E3 presentation (Digital Event + Treehouse), alongside the more creative game-specific Directs really helped Nintendo in getting more people interested in their news channels, and now there are more people who follow closely Nintendo news thanks to the Directs. It's possible that a good part of those new viewers were Nintendo fans who already had the consoles and was already interested in those games, but the increase is so huge that I think there's a decent part of the new followers can be people who were interested in Nintendo stuff, but weren't so dedicated to be costantly informed about them, and the Directs caught their attention/people who weren't that interested in Nintendo and that, now, are more interested.
There's more people following Nintendo official news channel now, and it'll be interesting to see how the company will leverage on this bigger attention at the upcoming E3. Their initiatives last year were a resounding success, and it's normal to expect them to follow what they did in 2014, with some changes (Splatoon tournament?) / possibly improvements (the DE pace, while good, could've been better).
Opinion time
What do you think about this recent increase in views on YouTube? What do you think it's going to be the following steps for further improvements in how Nintendo Directs are portrayed / received / watched? What would you like to see at this year's E3, in terms of initiatives?