Czech viewers are increasingly connecting their TVs to the internet and using smart features.
According to the findings of a study undertaken by Nielsen Admosphere for the national transmission company Ceske Radiokomunikace (CRa), a third of internet users aged 15+ in the country now have smart TVs, with men (3%%) and those aged 15-24 being the most represented.
The most used smart TV application is YouTube (83%), followed by iVysilani, with the latter being the most popular among those aged 35-44.
The study also found that HbbTV services are accessed by 36% of users who have TVs with smart functionality. Men were again the most represented group, while the most common reason people gave for not using HbbTV was ignorance, with 27% stating other reasons.
Smart TV functions were used daily by 22% of respondents, most of whom were aged 35-44. One third (33%) used them weekly and 34% monthly, with the most common reason cited being to access the internet on their TVs and other devices.
The most beneficial feature they identified was accessing archive programmes (76%), followed by catch-up or time shift (61%).
Interestingly, when asked if and how they would be willing to pay for premium content, 22% stated a preference for doing so via ad tracking, 21% for a monthly fee and 21% for a one-time fee.
Over a third (35%) were not interested in viewing premium content.