• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, April 5, 2013

 According to BBC World News, the largest global study to date on the consumption of news in the digital age finds that tablets complement TV viewing, and the 25-34 age demographic is the biggest news enthusiasts. The study was conducted by InSites Consulting, surveyed more than 3,600 owners of digital devices in nine countries to determine the growing impact of TV, smartphones, tablets and laptops on people’s news consumption habits.

Key findings from the study include:

• TV still dominates overall usage, taking 42% of people’s news consumption time compared with laptops (29%), smartphones (18%) and tablets (10%)
• Tablet owners watch more TV news, not less, with 43% of tablet users saying they consume more TV than they did five years ago, and most saying they use tablets alongside TV
• Young professionals, the 25-34 year old demographic are the biggest news enthusiasts
• Second screening for news is becoming commonplace, with 83% of tablet users saying they have used their tablets while watching television
• News audiences expect to see advertising nearly as much on mobile (79% tablet, 84% smartphone) as they do on TV (87%) and online (84%)
• People respond to advertising across all the screens, with 1 in 7 users indicating they responded to a mobile ad in the last four weeks while responses to TV and desktop are 1 in 5 and 1 in 4 respectively.

Different platforms complement one another, says the report, allowing people to layer their device usage throughout the day. Smartphones and laptops are most popular throughout the working day, peaking at around 1pm. TV usage spikes dramatically from 5pm onwards, and at its peak time of 7pm TV use is 50% higher than for any other device.

In breaking news situations, 42% of users turn to television as their primary and first device, with 66% then turning to the internet to investigate stories further.

When asked to rate their most important news:

• 84% of users rated national news most important
• 82% said international news
• 79% local news
• 61% financial and business news
• 56% say sports
• 43% arts/entertainment news

 Jim Egan, CEO of BBC Global News Ltd, said: “... there’s been speculation... that mainstream uptake of smartphones, laptops and tablets will have a negative impact on television viewing... this study... found that the four devices... work well together... resulting in greater overall consumption rather than... cannibalizing...”

For more information, please visit BBC News here.