The research found TV the most used media, with the average person watching 3.7 hours a day. The internet claims 1.8 hours of daily usage, and this is up 38% in the two years since the last Touchpoints survey.

Ipsos MediaCT took over the running of the survey from TNS – which had run the past two waves – as it was able to tap the National Readership Survey’s recontact database as a more cost-effective source of sample.

Along with the change in suppliers, the Touchpoints survey was expanded to include deeper coverage of digital media, including mobile, video-on-demand and social networking. It also added measurements of word-of-mouth and gaming.

Ipsos is already looking at further enhancements for a possible fourth wave, chief among them a dedicated mobile phone application – similar, perhaps, to the app being developed to accompany the US debut of the survey, which is expected to be fielded next year.

Commenting on wave three, IPA research director Lynne Robinson said: “We are very pleased with the results achieved and look forward to developing the survey with Ipsos in the future.”

With the hub data published, it will now be fused with the UK’s various media currencies – including Barb (TV), NRS (print), UKOM (online) and Rajar (radio) – to create an integrated planning database (IPD).