• by Wayne Friedman , April 23, 2010

Television's prime time is video games' prime time.

Television viewer erosion is the result of a fractionalized viewership -- which is due, in large part, to cable viewing and Internet usage. But a lot of video game usage is also contributing, especially in the evening hours between 7 and 11 p.m.

A new study by the Nielsen Games measuring division says Xbox 360 usage, for example, hits nearly 25% between 7 and 11 p.m, with men around 23% and women's usage at around 17%.

Xbox 360 users are comprised of 45% 18- to-34-year-olds, 31% 12- to-17-year-olds, 13% 2- to-11-year-olds, 7% 35- to-44-year-olds and 3% 45- to-54-year-olds.

Nielsen also looked at Xbox 360 popular live game "1 vs 100" -- which comes in two versions -- one with a live host; the other where players could practice among themselves.

The live-host version play averaged 87 minutes, while the practice verison was 71 minutes. That's equal to about one TV drama and one sitcom. Both types of Xbox play offer advertising integration during the "game breaks" after each set of 10 questions.

Carolyn Fuson, senior audience and analysis manager for Xbox Live advertising, said in a Nielsen Wire blog: "In one specific case, an advertiser who placed ads within the games saw notable brand recall and lift. Our ability to learn more about the audience can only be a positive to those brands looking to make an impact on the growing gaming community."