A report released this month by Futuresource Consulting predicts that over 20% of TVs bought in Europe next year will be able to access the Internet. Four major manufacturers already released such TVs earlier in 2009.

December 17, 2009 — British-based research company Futuresource Consulting has released a report predicting increased take-up of internet-capable TVs in 2010. The figures relate to Europe as a whole and suggest that more than 20% of flat-panel TVs sold in the next calendar year will be able to connect to the Internet. This should mean that, by the end of 2010, almost 10% of all European flat-panels will have internet access. A handful of TV manufacturers — Philips, Samsung, Panasonic, and Sony — have released TVs with varying degrees of internet functionality during 2009, and these manufacturers will be looking forward to rising demand for the technology.

As yet, only Philips has released a TV with full access to any web address; the other suppliers currently provide portal-style access to sites including YouTube and Picasa, allowing viewers to view videos and photos online, as well as various news and weather sites.

This limited selection of content looks set to expand, says David Watkins, a research consultant at Futuresource: “We expect content to be the next battleground and a key driver for connection and usage, particularly through interaction with social networking sites and access to recently released movies.”

Accordingly, the company expects manufacturers to launch more-sophisticated devices in early 2010 — Televisions.com will of course bring you all of the developments as they happen. For now, check out our article Internet on your TV for a round-up of what’s currently on the market.