• by Paul Gough , May 6, 2004

Syndication owns Friday. That's a message the Syndicated Network Television Association (SNTA)wants advertisers and agencies to know in advance of this year's upfront.

It's no secret that Thursday nights are big for advertisers who want to snag consumers in their last stop before shopping or going out on the weekend. But SNTA President Mitch Burg says that Friday is a must-have for advertisers who want to catch consumers before they go out and spend.

"The reason you care about Friday is the same reason why you care about Must-See TV on Thursday," Burg says. "It's the theory of recency, the last chance to reach somebody" before the weekend.

SNTA points to research that shows that the weekend has 65 percent of the car buying, 77 percent of movie attendance, 52 percent of the shopping, and 55 percent of the restaurant deliveries.

"It all happens on the weekend--Friday, Saturday, Sunday," Burg says.

And on Fridays, syndication has a strong play in the marketplace across the demographics, leading in households, adults 18-34 and adults 18-49.

Four of the top five TV shows in household ratings were syndicated in February 2004: "Wheel of Fortune," "Oprah," "Judge Judy," and "Seinfeld," all with ratings above 7.5. Only one network show, "Dateline Friday," was above a 7.5, and that put it behind three syndicated programs.

Syndication has four of the five and six of the top 10 shows in adults 18-49, along with five of the top 10 in women 18-49 and six of the top 10 in men 18-49. And among younger demos, with five of the top five young adult programs in adults 18-34 and among men and women in the demo.

A long way from the heyday of network television, when such popular shows as "Dallas" and "Miami Vice" and, stretching further, "Sanford & Son," kept viewers home in front of the tube. Now the viewers have other choices, and they're picking shows like "Wheel of Fortune," which gets a 9.0 household rating.

Burg noticed the trend when he was looking at a national newspaper, which provides ratings for broadcast, cable, and syndication side-by-side. He noticed the trend, which held up in further analysis. Syndication is meeting with advertisers and agencies to discuss that and other benefits of its medium.

"When you're thinking about recency, thinking about retail, and getting your messages targeted in the right place at the right time, then syndication is the place to be," Burg says.