Research: Internet access via TV doubles in Portugal
September 15, 2023
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
The number of Portuguese internet users who use their TV sets to access the internet has doubled in the past four years, according to data from market research company Marktest. This makes TV the fastest-growing medium for accessing the internet in Portugal.
The peak of this growth occurred during the pandemic, when the number of internet users accessing the internet through their TV sets increased by almost 12 percentage points. Even after the pandemic, the trend of online access via TV continued to grow.
In 2019, only 18.6 per cent of Portuguese internet users accessed the internet through their televisions. In the first months of 2023, this number had risen to 49.2 per cent.
The most popular way to access the internet in Portugal is still the mobile phone, with 80.4 per cent of internet users saying they use it to be online. The computer is used by 63.5 per cent of internet users, the tablet by 22.4 per cent, and game consoles by 9.8 per cent.
Contributing to the growth of internet access via TV sets is the increasing popularity of smart TVs, which have built-in internet browsers and apps; the growth of streaming services; and the increasing availability of free and paid internet content on TV.
According to Marktest, the growth of internet use on TV sets is a trend that is likely to continue in the years to come.