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Lionsgate Studios and games developer Funtactix are launching The Hunger Games Adventures, a social gaming title which will open in concert with the film adaptation of the Suzanne Collins’ bestselling novel The Hunger Games in March, writes Steve Mullins.

Players of the game will be able to explore the world of Panem – the setting for The Hunger Games trilogy – and complete missions that will take them to each of the ‘Districts’ and the ‘Capitol’ where they will interact with characters from the story.

BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart is now visualising the top 10 best-selling singles in the Chart via the Radio 1 website for the first time, says Maria Stadtmueller. Listeners will be able to watch the final hour of The Official Chart every Sunday as Reggie Yates counts down the top 10 tracks.

Absolute Radio has begun putting live airplay information on billboards in the UK to promote the relaunch of its Faces For Radio series with Christian O’Connell, Frank Skinner, Dave Gorman, Geoff Lloyd and Ian Wright.

CueSongs has beta-launched its music hub offering licensed recordings from signed and independent artists, DJ’s and composers – among them Ennio Morricone, Peter Gabriel, Judge Jules, Deadly Avenger and John Metcalfe – to be used in online and mobile media, writes Steve Mullins.

CueSongs says it provides a simple way for anyone to find well-known, pre-licensed music recordings and immediately purchase the right to deploy them on their websites, on Facebook, YouTube, in apps, online advertising and other micro-usages.

ESPN has tasked media discovery company Shazam with supplying additional content to its coverage of the Winter X Games Aspen 2012. When winter sports fans use Shazam to tag the live telecast they will be able to access video highlights, photos, results and music, as well as connect to related social media.

Those brands able to enhance Chinese New Year celebrations in a culturally relevant way will strengthen their bonds with customers, gaining both short and long-term benefits, according to the recently released BrandZ China study.

Microsoft has launched the Microsoft Advertising Story Awards, tasking marketers from 30 countries with submitting a campaign idea for a brand or non-profit using Microsoft Advertising’s storytelling platforms.

Recommendations from friends and family are the most powerful influence on consumers, and that the best way to get consumers talking is for brands to provide direct, positive experience, according to New Realities 2012 research in the US, Brazil, China and India conducted by Jack Morton Worldwide.

Not all kinds of advocacy are equal, though – consumers’ views on social media impact are contradictory and only one in five use social networks to make brand recommendations the same way they do ‘in the real world’.