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A new report from Digital TV Research predicts that the number of TV sets connected to the Internet in a sample of 40 countries will increase from 124mn at the end of 2010 to 551mn by 2016.

Proportions are expected to vary considerably from one country to the next, with South Korea expected to be the market leader in 2016, boasting a 15% market penetration of connected TVs. The gross proportion of TV households with a connected set will be 43% by 2016, up from 11% in 2010.

Report author Simon Murray explained: “These are gross figures as it is possible that one TV household can have several sets connected to the Internet. For example, a TV household could own a connected TV set, and may also have a connected fixed games console. This report identifies five different ways by which a set can be connected to the Internet – and one form of connection does not exclude the other forms.”

There are several ways by which a TV set can be connected to the Internet, according to the report: the most popular current method is identified as via the fixed games console (Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox), which accounted for 79mn of the end-2010 total.

However, sales of connected TV sets (with a built-in Ethernet connection and, increasingly, widgets/applications) are believed to be taking off, especially as retail prices are beginning to fall. Most television sets available for sale will soon have the ability to connect to the Internet (though not all homes buying these sets will hook up to the Internet).

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