Every platform in the world is chasing the same thing: an audience that actually pays attention. Gaming already has it. That’s the view of AndrĂ© Swanston, Founder & CEO of PHȲND, who argues that while social feeds compete for seconds and streaming content plays in the background, gamers are fully immersed — engaged for extended sessions, making active decisions, and spending real money.Â
Why are gaming audiences becoming as valuable as commerce platforms?
Gaming delivers what every platform is chasing: high-intent, high-attention engagement. Players aren’t multitasking—they’re fully immersed, often for extended periods of time.
At the same time, the industry has spent decades trying to crack commerce on the big screen—from HSN to today’s digital storefronts. Gaming has already solved that behavior. Hundreds of millions of people are comfortable spending money directly through their TVs, creating a natural bridge between engagement and commerce.
That combination—deep attention and proven purchase behavior—is what makes gaming audiences so valuable.
What are the limits of transaction-driven models in scaling gaming globally?
Transaction-driven models are limited by ability and willingness to pay, which caps global reach.
That’s why ad-supported models like PHYND are so powerful—they expand the total addressable audience by monetizing engagement, not just transactions, and make gaming accessible to anyone with a screen.
What is the biggest opportunity in gaming?
The biggest opportunity is smart TV gaming—bringing free, premium gaming to the biggest screen in the home.
The next phase of growth isn’t just about better games—it’s about building smarter platforms around them. Platforms that combine advertising, commerce, and distribution to turn gameplay into a scalable, accessible experience for mass audiences.
In short: remove the barriers, meet consumers where they already are, and unlock gaming for everyone.
How does advertising unlock mass adoption on TV?
Advertising unlocks mass adoption by eliminating barriers to entry—no console, no downloads, no subscriptions.
It aligns gaming with how people already consume content on TV: instant, accessible, and free. And it creates a model where value scales across the ecosystem—consumers get frictionless access, platforms grow globally, and advertisers connect with deeply engaged audiences.
That’s how gaming reaches true scale on the biggest screen in the home.
