Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2000/10/14/interactive_tv_boom_around/

Interactive TV boom around the corner

From couch potato to e-potato

By Linda Harrison

Posted in Legal, 14th October 2000 08:53 GMT

Interactive TV use will increase tenfold in the US over the next three years, according to IDC.

It expects around ten million NetTV activations in 2004 - up from one million last year.

The US is expected to account for around half of all use, but Net TV is also forecast to take off worldwide. Activations at a global level are will hit 19.5 million in 2004 - up from 6.1 million last year.

This means more than 81 million living rooms will sport one of these items.

"The opportunity for a new type of device that provides consumers with interactive features and that supplements or even replaces PCs is upon us," said Mary Joy Scafidi, IDC Consumer Devices program senior research analyst.

"The bandwidth is in place; the content and price points are in place; and the system capabilities are in place."

The average American household spends more than 50 hours in front of the goggle box every week - a figure which is increasing, according to IDC.

"The interactive TV market is poised to be one of the largest non-PC platforms for interactivity," said Scafidi. ®

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