Microsoft just published a rather thorough report on the future developments of the internet across Europe. In the report, Microsoft analyses the differences in broadband penetration levels across Europe, examines the causes fuelling the growth of Internet adoption, assesses the impact of consumers’ evolving online behavior, and predicts the online trends of the future.
Since 2004, broadband connections across Europe have grown by almost 95%, from 44 million households in 2005 to over 85 million. In fact, broadband Internet connections in Europe today outstrip those in the US, representing 83% of all Internet connections, compared to 70% in America. The explosion in broadband uptake combined with the relentless pace of technological innovation is driving a major change in consumer behaviour and is transforming our traditional media landscape.
Alain Thys highlights some of the findings:
- in June 2010 Internet will overtake (traditional) television in terms of media consumption time
- internet use on PC’s will drop from 95% today, to 50% in five years
- browsing will grow from 19% in 2008 to 30% in 2013
- 28% of Europeans watch short or full length videos online