Forty-five per cent of Europeans are already watching previews or full episodes of their favourite TV shows online, according to an IPTV research study by Motorola"s Connected Home Solutions division. "These results show that viewers across Europe are no longer satisfied with fitting into schedules dictated by broadcasters, and are turning to the choice and flexibility offered by TV over the internet. We are witnessing a nation of citizen schedulers who are in control of their entertainment, allowing them to watch what they want, how and when they want it," said Karl Elliott, marketing director for EMEA at Motorola"s Connected Home Solutions. The study surveyed attitudes and behaviours of 2,500 broadband users in UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
France came top of the poll with 59% of its citizens tuning in online, compared with 48% of Italians and 43% of Britons. Germany came last out of the five countries, with only a third of its citizens using web TV. On average, users are now plugging three devices into the TV set, with nearly a third of all Europeans attaching a digital camera to view photos. 45% of Europeans also expect to be making video calls using their home TVs by 2012.