The survey of UK's consumers completed by ICM found that 56 per cent use television as their main source of news, and 77 per cent feel the TV is more entertaining than national newspapers or radio.

When asked which medium they "could not do without," more than twice as many people said TV than the national press or radio, the survey found.

The research also suggested that the popularity of television programming is matched by viewers' preference of TV commercials over other types of advertising. Consumers are 13 times more likely to identify TV advertisements as the most "entertaining, interesting or enjoyable" in preference to ads in newspapers or on the radio.

TV ads, says the ICM research, also deliver a stronger call to action than those in other media: 56 per cent of consumers say they are most likely to respond to TV ads compared with the national press (24 per cent) or radio (four per cent).