Internet for Entertainment: Europeans watch TV on their computers

Brussels – TV? We watch it on the internet. For Europeans, the television set is increasingly an outdated tool, while the PC, on the other hand, is a dual-use tool for both professional and personal use, according to data released by Eurostat on internet usage and the habits of EU citizens. In 2024, men and women in the European Union “widely” used the internet for cultural purposes, according to the European Statistical Institute. Specifically, “the most common activity was watching TV or videos online“, according to statements made by 79 percent of users. For eight out of ten Europeans, therefore, the computer is the new tool for enjoying a quiet and relaxing evening with their favorite actor. 

This new way of experiencing emotions on the small screen primarily concerns the citizens of the Netherlands and Finland (96 percent in both cases), where practically everyone uses a PC to watch TV, whether it be it films, shows, or series. Cyprus follows in the special ranking. However, the habit is established everywhere. Even in Bulgaria, which is second to last in terms of watching TV programs on a computer, one in two people (55 percent) have abandoned the outdated and obsolete TV set.

What about music? Forget radio. People now prefer Internet channels to listen to their favorite songs: YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer are more popular than traditional radio. Two out of three people who regularly use the PC (65 percent) say they use the internet to listen to music.

 Where does Italy stand in all this? Eighty percent of Italians watch TV on their PCs, but the country is only mentioned expressly once in the Eurostat report, specifically for the little attention given to information. “Reading news online (from websites, newspapers, or magazines) was reported by 91 percent of internet users in the Czech Republic, 90 percent in Finland, and 89 percent in Cyprus. In contrast, the lowest percentages were registered in Italy (62 percent), France (56 percent), and Romania (50 percent).