The majority of Australians have little interest in accessing the internet through their television sets despite the introduction of several new ‘smart TV’ models by major manufacturers.
The new research, released by the Australian Communication and Media Authority, found 61 per cent (or approximately 11.5 million) of the population were “not interested” in accessing the internet or related services through their home TVs.
However, the technology is still in its infancy and a sizeable minority – 18 per cent or 3.4 million people – are interested, according to the report.
“As with any emerging technology or service, usage is expected to increase as the cost of the internet-enabled TVs declines and the provision of service offerings and consumer awareness increases,” the ACMA report said.
Several TV manufacturers, such as Sony, Samsung, LG and Panasonic, now offer smart TV models, which include features such as 3D, web browsing, social networking and applications.
The report also found that one-quarter of the population would like to link their computer to their TV to play music, photos or videos while 11 per cent had already done so. An estimated 14 per cent (or 2.5 million people) of the population would like to use their TVs to make video calls.