According to Insights into the Freemium Games Market, the latest report from leading market research company, The NPD Group, 4 out of 10 of those who have played an upgradable freemium game report making an in-game payment to extend or enhance a game. A growing number of freemium, or free-to-play games are hitting the market, like Firefall, which can be seen in the exclusive video below.

Thanks in part to the sales surge of Sony’s PlayStation 3, there are now Blu-ray Disc players in one quarter of U.S. households. Lower hardware prices for stand-alone BD players have also contributed to this growth. According to Centris Research, the installed base of Blu-ray players in U.S. homes was up 47% in Q4 2011 over the same quarter of 2010.

Worldwide media tablet shipments into sales channels rose by 56.1% on a sequential basis in the fourth calendar quarter of 2011 (4Q11) to 28.2 million units worldwide, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Media Tablet and eReader Tracker. That represents an increase of 155% from the fourth quarter of 2010. The market experienced stronger-than-expected growth across many regions and at many price points, leading to a full-year 2011 total of 68.7 million units. Based upon the markets' strong 2011 finish, and the clear demand expected in 2012, IDC has increased its 2012 forecast to 106.1 million units, up from its previous forecast of 87.7 million units.

A new study by Martiz Research, which was taken a week before Thanksgiving, has indentified four key buyer segments in the overall tablet market. There are single-minded (21 percent),tablet-committed (44 percent), newcomers (13 percent) and low-end tablet buyers (22 percent). To marketers of Google Android tablets, including those that feature NVIDIA Tegra technology, the study provides key insight into consumer profiles that help effectively target this large market of potential buyers.

According to Kids and Gaming 2011, the latest report from leading market research company, The NPD Group, since 2009, the population growth of kids ages 2-17 increased 1.54 percent in the U.S., while the gaming population of that age group has grown 12.68 percent. This growth in kids’ gaming population is far outpacing the growth experienced by the population of 2-17 year olds in the country.

The Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) has taken the first in-depth study that provides an exclusive look at the first-hand experiences of nearly 3,100 3D-compatible television (3DTV) owners. Overwhelmingly, consumers reported a positive entertainment experience, minimal price premiums, and enthusiasm about the future of 3D content.

Social games company RockYou enlisted market research firm Interpret to conduct a Social Gamer Thought Leadership study to explore who’s playing games in the booming marketplace that Facebook has created. Key findings provide valuable insights for advertisers and marketers, game developers, and industry thought leaders looking to understand the rapidly-evolving social game space. The study explores attitudes, behaviors, motivations, psychographics, and purchase intent among the current US social gaming population. It also categorizes social gamers—based on their gaming behaviors and attitudes—into four consumer segments. The results both confirm existing assumptions and provide unexpected, surprising information about players.

A new report from Knowledge Networks shows “over the top” (OTT) video viewing has grown dramatically in just a year – both streamed and downloaded, on stationary as well as mobile platforms. Smartphones, videogame consoles, and video rental services are the main drivers of this trend, with Generations X and Y and Baby Boomers all increasing their OTT viewing. Game consoles, tablets and laptops are allowing consumers to watch video when they want, where they want. Xbox Live Video Marketplace allows gamers to stream college football games through ESPN 3, for example, and DirecTV offers NFL Sunday Ticket on mobile devices, laptops and PlayStation 3.

Game consoles were rated as the most used connected CE device in North America to stream Netflix content, according to two recent survey reports by ABI Research. Survey respondents said that on average, they spent seven to eight hours a week watching online video on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

With Steve Jobs stepping down from Apple, the company seems to be on a course for great success in the tablet space according to data from the IHS iSuppli Display Materials & Systems Service. Capitalizing on its shrewd strategy, as well as its competitors’ stumbles, Apple is set to increase its iPad shipments at a faster rate than previously expected in 2011 and beyond, causing the global media tablet market to exceed growth expectations during the next few years.

First the iPad put a dent in the traditional video game industry. Now Steve Jobs’ company is taking out the PC competition in a way the Mac never could. Rising consumer interest in media tablets like Apple’s iPad and NVIDIA Tegra 2 tablets like Motorola Xoom are beginning to take a toll on the global PC market, with shipments of desktops and notebooks in the first quarter of 2011 declining compared to the same period in 2010, according to new IHS iSuppli research.

While Microsoft has been dominating console sales of late thanks to a huge boost from Kinect for Xbox 360 and Sony has seen stronger sales from its PlayStation 3, the battle for the American living room is currently Nintendo’s to lose. According to new research from Nielsen, Wii is the most popular game console in today’s living or family room. That puts the Wii, which now has streaming of Netflix movies like Xbox 360 and PS3 provide, in direct competition with Hollywood television programming (although that battle has been changed with the proliferation of digital video recorders).