A survey produced by the European Audiovisual Observatory and French government’s Media Development Department (DDM) shows that there were 258 VOD services in operation in 24 European countries at the end of last year. The increase on the number 12 months earlier, when there were 142 services, is explained by the fact that TV channels now have websites offering free catch-up TV, giving viewers access to certain programmes days after their transmission. The highest numbers of VOD services were in France (40), followed by The Netherlands (30), Germany (26), and Sweden and the UK (16 each), with most being delivered by the Internet, followed by IPTV.
