• by Wayne Friedman , August 29, 2018

What is the best night of the week to get the most from your TV advertising dollars? One research report says it is Wednesday.

Looking at a number of factors -- TV advertising pricing, consumer attention and quality of programming -- C3 Metrics, a media attribution analytics company, says the middle of the work week is the best night for the highest return on a TV advertising investment. 

On Wednesdays, advertisers got back 1.541 in revenue for every TV dollar they spent. Thursday came in at a close second with 1.51. Sundays are where advertisers get the least amount back, at 0.64 in revenue for every TV dollar spent.

For Monday, the amount came in at 1.157, followed by Tuesday at 1.066, Friday with 0.945 and Saturday at 0.985.

Data came from banking, retail, ecommerce, financial services, insurance, and subscription services marketers for the first half of 2018.

Wednesday is where TV ad inventory tends to be priced a bit lower than other days of the week.

In terms of consumer attention, there is less in the middle of the week, when viewers have more activities, with work and school demands. But as the week progresses, TV viewers look for more leisure time.

Thursday is also high on the list. That’s when people began planning entertainment activities and consider media suggestions, including online content. Thursday is also a big night for movie-studio ads.