• by Wayne Friedman , March 6, 2007

Alternative forms of entertainment are growing everywhere, and video-game consoles are one of the fastest. But there's good news for the networks; analysts say such expansion doesn't come at the expense of TV viewing.

Nielsen Wireless and Interactive Services reports that video-game consoles climbed nearly 20% over the last two years. Consoles are now in about 45.7 million homes--a little less than half the number of TV homes.

Strong sales of video consoles have greatly outpaced the growth of traditional TV households, which climbed only 1.6% during the period. Still, TV analysts say TV usage has not been affected, as viewership has climbed in virtually every demographic group over the last two years.

About 148.4 million persons had access to at least one video-game console system in their home--which represents more than half (52.4%) of the total U.S. television population.

In the fourth quarter of 2006, Nielsen says 93.8 million persons--or 33% of the population--used an in-home video-game console at least once for a minute or more. In any given minute of the day, about 1.6 million people are using a video-game console, according to the research company.

The most intense gamers--the top 20% of all those who play--average 5 hours and 45 minutes of gaming per day.

Not surprisingly, it's the younger male demos that are supporting the business.

Two-thirds of all men ages 18-34 had access to a console in their homes. Among men 12-17, the number climbs to 80%.