With shows like Humsafar and tumultuous living conditions that have conditioned us to always have the news on, we're glued to our televisions. The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), along with Gallup, conducted a research in Pakistan regarding the use of media in Pakistan and concluded that 76.2 per cent of the people in the country watch the television weekly.

BBG is an independent federal agency of the United States government responsible for administering all US government-supported, civilian international media. According to its research, adults in Pakistan are more inclined to watch television than turn to forms of new media for information, such as the internet or mobiles. Even though around 56 per cent of the people in Pakistan appear to have mobile phones, they principally use these only to send messages or make phone calls.

William Bell, director of audience insights at the BBG said: "Television is by far the most important platform for news and information. We see that even when power is in short supply, people still find a way to watch."

Bell further said that there was a significant gap in information access between those with access to cable (45 per cent) and satellite (14 per cent) compared to those with only terrestrial (21 per cent) or no TV.

The research also found that with the introduction of 3G mobile growth is imminent; mobile phones have become the main medium through which people use the internet. Some 72 per cent of mobile phone users in Pakistan use their smartphones to browse the internet, whereas 62 per cent of the people use their phones to listen to the radio.

“Increasing confidence in the national government is the single most striking observation since we started measuring this on the World Poll, and there are regional variations that might be due to exposure to state media,” stated Rajesh Srinivasan, regional research director for Asia and Middle East at Gallup.

Srinivasan added that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan had "the lowest confidence in the national government and they seem to rely more on state media for news and information.”

Both the media survey and the Gallup World Poll show robust regional differences in media consumption and attitudes.

The BBG broadcasts to Pakistan with a blend of radio, television and new media via Voice of America’s Urdu Service, VOA’s Radio Deewa, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Radio Mashaal.