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Activision buys 'Candy Crush' creator in mobile gaming push
By Sophie ESTIENNE
San Francisco (AFP) Nov 3, 2015


US teens spend over 6.5 hrs in front of screens daily: study
New York (AFP) Nov 3, 2015 - US teenagers average more than six and a half hours a day in front of screens, from televisions to tablets, with pre-teens lagging close behind, a report released Tuesday said.

Authors of the study, which was conducted by the Common Sense Media organization, emphasized that apart from watching TV, teenagers and pre-teens spend their screen time doing vastly different activities, from social networking to gaming, with patterns varying greatly.

According to the study, teenagers (age 13 to 18) watch television, DVDs or videos an average two hours and 38 minutes daily. They also spend an hour and 21 minutes on gaming and an hour and 11 minutes doing social networking, it said.

In total, teenagers spend an average of six hours and 40 minutes in front of screens, while their pre-teen or "tween" counterparts (age eight to 12) spend four hours and 36 minutes, it said.

The study emphasized that children could spend time in front of a screen while doing other activities, such as cleaning their rooms or participating in sports.

They could also use several media at once, the authors said, explaining that this usage was added up as separate instances of screen time, rather than one instance.

Screen time varied greatly between different types of users. For example, the 56 percent of teens who play video games spend two hours and 25 minutes daily doing so.

Meanwhile, the 58 percent of teens who report using social networks spend an average of two hours and four minutes on those sites and apps daily.

Only 15 percent of pre-teens, however, reported using social media.

Screenless media that the survey accounted for included listening to music, which 66 percent of teens said they did daily, making it the most popular daily media activity.

Only 58 percent of teens said they watched television programming daily.

The study also accounted for reading time, with 79 percent of teenagers saying they do not read except for what is required for class.

Only three percent said they read the newspaper and five percent read magazines.

The survey of 2,658 US children age eight to 18 was conducted from February to March.

The video game giant behind the "Call of Duty" series is buying the maker of "Candy Crush Saga", King Digital Entertainment, for $5.9 billion -- bringing together a market of half a billion gamers worldwide.

The move signals a major push into mobile for the California-based Activision Blizzard, which has some of the best-known console games on the market, including "World of Warcraft," "Guitar Hero," "Skylander" and most recently "Destiny."

Activision announced the acquisition late Monday, saying it would "create one of the largest global entertainment networks."

Its "Call of Duty" first-person shooter franchise is one of the world's top-selling console games, while the fiercely addictive "Candy Crush" is among the most popular on mobile devices.

"We think now is the right time to enter mobile gaming in a meaningful way," said Activision chief executive Bob Kotick.

"Widespread mobile access around the world has opened significant demand for engaging, fun content that players can enjoy anytime, anywhere."

Activision said it believes the addition of King's line of games will position it "as a global leader in interactive entertainment across mobile, console and PC platforms."

"With a combined global network of more than half a billion monthly active users, our potential to reach audiences around the world... enables us to deliver great games to even bigger audiences than ever before," said Kotick.

Activision said its expanded audience would "reach across casual and core gamers, female and male players, and developed and emerging markets throughout the world."

The purchase, approved by the boards of directors of both companies, "positions the company for future growth," it said.

- 'Solidify our position' -

"Candy Crush Saga" established King Digital as a global gaming power on cell phones and other mobile devices. The company counted 474 million monthly active users in the third quarter this year, said CEO Riccardo Zacconi in the joint statement.

Candy Crush remains a top seller -- it is third in downloads in the Apple app store -- but the company has struggled to replicate the game's success with other products.

King's shareholders will receive $18.00 in cash per share, giving the deal a value of $5.9 billion.

That represents a 20 percent premium over King's closing share price on October 30.

But it is well below the company's high-priced IPO, which sold at $22.50 per share in March 2014.

Activision said it is using some $3.6 billion of offshore cash as well as a $2.3 billion incremental term loan to pay for the purchase.

The transaction is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2016, pending approval from shareholders and authorities.

"The combined revenues and profits solidify our position as the largest, most profitable standalone company in interactive entertainment," said Kotick.

- Mobile games booming -

Activision plans to let King operate independently under Zacconi and its creative director Sebastian Knutsson, and will provide King "with experience, support and investment to continue to build" on their legacy, Kotick said.

King has pioneered a business model that allows users to start playing for free -- but pay extra for additional features. Many of its games run on less sophisticated smartphones, requiring little hardware investment from users, and therefore reaching a wider public.

Activision's games on the other hand are played on video game consoles or computers. Its games are priced in the $30-$60 range.

Mobile gaming is "the largest and fastest-growing area of interactive entertainment," the two companies said.

Activision said the deal is expected to generate more than $36 billion of revenue by the end of 2015 and grow by over 50 percent by 2019.

Activision shares were up 1.5 percent at $35.09 in early trade Tuesday, while King shares jumped 14.0 percent to $17.72.


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