More than 20 percent of flat-screen TVs shipped in Europe next will have internet connectivity, Futuresource estimates in a new report - that’s 15 million sets, nearly a tenth of the installed flat-screen base.

In other words, if Canvas is green-lighted by the BBC Trust in the next few weeks, by the time it launches, it will be competing with existing internet TV devices that already offer video-on-demand and other selected web services.

“In Europe, four of the major brands have already launched connected TV products that go beyond basic home networking functionality and allow delivery of over-the-top web services,” Futuresource researcher David Watkins tells us in a press release. “This includes basic weather and news pages, social networking, video streaming and catch-up TV.

“Although initially limited to high-end and mid-range products, we’re going to see web connectivity feature on an increasing number of products next year, becoming standard within two to three years.”

Are the internet TVs out there today any good? Not according to a recent Gadget Show group test, suffering not in picture quality but in EPG usability, some being walled off from the wider web.

With Canvas, the BBC intends to create consistency in what are likely to be highly variable interfaces and, more interestingly, provide broadcasters with a single on-ramp for providing both free and pay-for VOD. There’s even some talk of a widget platform and developer kit, which could mean a rich set of third-party “apps” connecting to the internet generally.