LONDON — Nearly half of Europe is regularly watching TV on the internet according to a study by StrategyOne that was sponsored by Motorola's Connected Home division.

The study, which surveyed attitudes and behaviours of 2500 broadband users in UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, highlights that a surprising 45 per cent of viewers are already watching TV online.

It found that French television addicts are the most demanding, with 59 per cent choosing to watch previews and episodes of their favourite shows via the web. Italians and Brits come in second and third respectively, whilst German viewers remain most bound to schedules set by TV broadcasters with only 33 per cent catching shows online.

The study also suggests that users across the continent are, on average, plugging three devices into the TV set, with nearly a third of all Europeans attaching a digital camera to download and view photos.

The study also suggests TV users are starting to embrace other related services that can be accessed through IPTV set top boxes. For instance 57 per cent of respondents said they want the ability to go online via the TV set during a live broadcast, and 35 per cent of viewers want the ability to pause, fast forward or rewind live broadcast programming.

"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," says Karl Elliott, Marketing Director for EMEA within Motorola's Connected Home Solutions division.