Video games will remain one of the above-average growth segments of the consumer electronics (CE) and global entertainment industries through 2011, with worldwide spending on games forecast to exceed music spending, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Smarthouse News reports (via MarketingCharts).

In some markets, such as the US, the UK and Australia, PwC forecasts that the video game market will beat the music sector as a result of the growth of online and wireless games, new consoles and in-game advertising. The projections include consumer spending on games, but not hardware and accessories spending.

Additional game-related data and forecasts from PwC's eighth annual "Global Entertainment and Media Outlook" report:

• Worldwide game spending grew 14.3 percent, to $31.6 billion, in 2006 and is expected to grow 18.5 percent in 2007, reaching $37.5 billion.
• By 2011, the worldwide gaming market will be worth $48.9 billion, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.1 percent during the five-year period 2007-2011. That CAGR contrasts with the 6.4 percent overall CAGR forecast by PwC for entertainment overall.
• In the U.S., PwC projects, the CAGR for game spending will be 6.7 percent, reaching $12.5 billion in 2011. This year's 15.5 percent growth is expected to shrink to 3.3 percent growth in 2011.

MarketingCharts provides additional data from the PwC study - including the US market, by segment.