Subscription sales aren’t enough for Turner Broadcasting’s gaming service ... GameTap is going beyond the monthly subscription model to include individual game sales as well as a monthly rotation of free, ad-supported titles. GameTap’s paying subscribers will be able to buy some titles the same day they are released to retailers under its new “day-and-date subscription” plan. The first release under the new “day-and-date” system: Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary. Aimed at more “mainstream” gamers, the ad-supported offering begins May 31.  In 2006, Turner claims that subscribers played more than 20 million games from the GameTap “vault”—more than 54,000 a day. GameTap has added over 500 games as well as more than 600 new content pieces to GameTap TV.  Last quarter, the company says, subscriptions were up nearly three-fold; the network has expanded into Canada. Release

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B&C: Turner picked a good time to widen its game service payment model, as sales of digital game-related products are expected to rise significantly this year. Citing a report from Kagan Research, game-related sales could reach $16 billion this year, up 61 percent over $9.9 billion in 2004