People are starting to watch less TV as online video booms, according to a BBC news website survey. Around 43% of UK viewers who watch video on the internet or on a mobile device at least once a week said they watched less traditional television as a result.

And online and mobile viewing is on the increase - with 75% of users saying they now watched more than they did a year ago.

The BBC news survey also found that online video viewers are still in the minority, with just 9% of the population saying they do it regularly.

Another 13% said they watched occasionally, while a further 10% said they expected to start within the coming year. But two-thirds of the population said they did not watch online and did not expect to start doing so over the next 12 months.

In the survey, one in five people who watched online or mobile video at least once a week said they watched a lot less TV as a result. Another 23% said they watched a bit less, while just over half said their TV viewing was unchanged.

Some 3% said online video inspired them to watch more TV. Online and mobile video is far more popular among the young, with 28% of those aged 16 to 24 revealing they watched more than once each week.

An average of 10% of those surveyed aged 25 to 44 were regular viewers of online videos, with that figure falling to just 4% of over-45s. From today, the BBC News website is running a series of special features on the future of TV.

It includes an interview with Ricky Gervais, whose podcast was one of the first to be downloaded by a mass audience, plus predictions on the future of television from other leading TV figures.

The site will also feature a guide to new TV technologies and exclusive videos of "famous" YouTubers talking about online video.

Comedian Gervais claimed amateur video would never replace TV. But he urged broadcasters to harness the power of the internet. "You can't knock up an episode of The Sopranos or 24 on a little handheld digital camera. I don't think you'll ever be able to sidestep TV or DVD. But TV companies will embrace it."

The choice offered by new platforms was "exciting", he said. However, their future depended on how many people started using the technology. "I'm sure when the BBC first launched, they were going: 'Ah, not many people have got tellies. Who's watching this? So it's good to get your act together. And then people catch up with the know-how and the means to watch it."

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