Almost half of Europe is now regularly watching TV over the Internet, according to a new study by StrategyOne for Motorola’s Connected Home Solutions Division, which surveyed 2,500 broadband users across the UK, France, Germany and Spain. Motorola, which uses the term IPTV to cover all of the modes of viewing, questioned users about their use of video on demand and their predicted use of technology in the future.
The survey reveals Gallic viewers to be the most demanding with 59% watching previews and episodes of their favourite shows over the web, the Italians and British are next in line, with the Germans most set in their ways with the traditional linear schedules. Only 33% of Germans watch television online.
The television itself is also evolving with users connecting an average of three devices to their TV displays. Nearly a third of all Europeans now attach a digital camera to view their photos. 45% of users expect to be able to make telephone calls over their home TVs by the year 2012.
57% of viewers would like to be able to go online from their TV while watching television – it was presumably the other 43% that rejected Web TV the first time around – and 35% of viewers want the ability to pause, fast forward or rewind live broadcast programming found in many digital video recorders.
