A new survey commissioned by the Television Bureau of Canada (TVB) shows avid Internet users, who average 37.4 online hours a week, watch the same amount of television as the average person aged 12 and over.

The June 2008 BBM Analytics omniVU survey reports that over a third of those surveyed said they watch TV while on the Internet and, of that group, 63% jump back and forth between the two while 58% pay attention to both.

‘Television and the Internet enhance each other,’ says Theresa Treutler, president/CEO, TVB. ‘It’s not a matter of competition, but rather one of synergies.’

In the adults 18+ demo, 41% have gone to the Internet to find more information pertaining to something they saw on a TV commercial and 22% of that group went on to make online purchases. Over a quarter of the 18 and older group, 27.4%, have gone onto the net to search out information about the programs they watch.

The study also notes that most adults would still choose the tube over any other media as a means of watching their favourite programs, and that the advent of time-shifting and commercial-zapping devices doesn’t seem to notably affect viewing practices.

However, late last month, a study by California-based Integrated Media Measurement showed that some people are passing up TV to watch episodes of their favourite shows online.