Viacom looking into in-game advertising

CFO Richard Bressler says that the media giant is exploring how to profit off games--via a novel approach.

Last year, Viacom shut down the game publishing operation of its publishing division, Simon & Schuster, after a string of flops. However, this year, the media giant--which also owns Paramount, CBS, MTV, BET, and Showtime, among other companies--is looking to get back into the game business, albeit via new tack.

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Speaking today at the Global Digital Summit, a conference of advertising executives, Viacom CFO Richard Bressler said his company is exploring how to profit from in-game advertisements.

"The interesting thing for us is to figure out if there's a market for advertising in video games," he said, according to Reuters. While he offered no concrete plans, Bressler did indicate his company was intrigued by the how gamers remain glued to their consoles. "People are spending a lot of time in interactive," he said.