The television set has always been the main focus in a house, the place where you get entertained, informed and generally ‘veg out’. But not any more, a new poll shows that the computer connected to the net, is the new focus for most people.

The poll by Ipsos asked over 24,000 adults from 23 countries around the world to answer the question -  Do i spend more time during the week on the Internet than watching TV. The result was that 68% of adults who can access the Internet spend more of their time on the internet than watching tv.

The survey results are indicative of a trend, said Steve Mossop, president of Ipsos Reid. “But I don’t think the TV is going anywhere. Growth rates are significant, but the full implications are still a number of years away,” he said, noting that 73% of the population doesn’t have Internet access.

When it comes to Country league tables for using the net more than tv, the top of the list belongs to China with 89%, Russia with 87% and Turkey (77%). At the lower end and not so internet savvy were France with 58%, Canada (57%) and Belgium (55%).

For many people though, the tv is dying and yesterdays news. “It’s over,” said Richard Cavell, an English professor at the University of British Columbia. “There is no TV anymore, because it has become the Internet.”

Cavell, who researches media, technology and television, pointed to a study out of the United States that found television usage per capita is increasing by several hours a year. “But what that statistic doesn’t tell you, is that the increase in TV usage was on the Internet, as people download and stream shows online.”

On the flip side, other experts think that television will be around for a long time yet. “The television is not going anywhere. Internet isn’t taking it over,” said Charles Zamaria, a professor in the School of Radio and Television Arts at Ryerson University, and project director for the Canadian Internet Project, which studies trends in Canadians’ use of Internet, traditional media and emerging technologies.

“While 98% of young people tend to use the Internet regularly, we’re finding they return to traditional media once they experience lifestyle changes, like employment,” he said, explaining that media consumption often comes in ebbs and flows. “People do tend to go back to traditional media.”

Because either medium offers consumers unique experiences, Zamaria said, the television is guaranteed to have a resurgence, as people search for opportunities to passively be entertained and find information.

Many surveys are showing that the internet will take over from tv and the introduction of internet enabled tv sets will mean that users can have access to both the net and the tv in one box. How will the next poll figure that one out?

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