It must be the special way news channel presenters promise "more as we get it", but television is still the "primary and first" device that top income earners in possession of multiple devices will turn to for breaking news, according to a global news consumption study by BBC World News and BBC.com.

The survey of more than 3,600 owners of at least three devices found that 42 per cent cite television as their first port-of-call, with 66 per cent then turning to the internet to investigate stories further.

Television still dominates overall usage, the study found, accounting for 42 per cent of respondents’ total news consumption time, compared with 29 per cent for laptops, 18 per cent for smartphones and 10 per cent for tablets.

BBC World News said the study, conducted by InSites Consulting among device owners in Australia, Singapore, India, UAE, South Africa, Poland, Germany, France and the US, was the largest global study to date on the consumption of news in the digital age.

Rather than competing with each other, different platforms complement one another, the study found, with users “layering” their device usage throughout the day - so while smartphones and laptops are more popular during work hours, peaking at around 1pm, television usage spikes after 5pm.

“There’s been speculation for years that mainstream uptake of smartphones, laptops and tablets will have a negative impact on television viewing, but this study has found that the four devices actually work well together, resulting in greater overall consumption rather than having a cannibalising effect,” says Jim Egan, chief executive of BBC Global News.