Commentary

Wanna Crack TV? Daytime Might Be A Surprising Route

Some research findings take you back a little, and it's always good to have your presumptions challenged. TVSquared has been running the numbers on what it costs to advertise at different times of the day and during different parts of the week and comparing that to engagement. The results are …
3 comments about "Wanna Crack TV? Daytime Might Be A Surprising Route".
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  1. Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, November 11, 2019 at 11:17 a.m.

    Sean, no surprises at all. Way back in ancient times highly touted but not very helpful computerized systems were telling advertisers that the best buy in terms of reaching their prime prospects cost efficiently was daytime TV, followed by early evening TV and way down at the bottom of the list---primetime and sports. Why? Because these mindless systems based everything on CPM---no consideration for reach, whether the ads are seen, commercial clutter, the benefits of program environment, the merchandisability of the buys, etc. Give a computer the following info and it can make only one choice: Daytime TV "reaches" targeted viewers ( not many of them, but some ) at a third the cost of primetime. While daytime TV tends to bulk up on lowbrows and oldsters to a greater extent than primetime, the latter's demographic edge in terms of audience composition is usually only about 25-30%. So, naturally, a computer, with just these "facts" will always pick daytime as the best buy.

  2. Paula Lynn from Who Else Unlimited, February 4, 2020 at 12:08 a.m.

    Many years ago, selling for an independent TV station, the truck driver schools wanted mindless daytime TV. Certainly, daytime has changed since then and working hours have shifted more than it was. Have audiences changed ?

  3. Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, February 4, 2020 at 7:41 a.m.

    Paula, there has been a basic change in daytime TV's audience demos thanks mainly to cable and, more recently, SVOD. When broacast TV held exclusive sway there was virtually nothing for men to watch except a few game shows. The rest consisted mainly of soaps, talk shows and sitcom reruns. But with cable, a man can watch documentaries about military history, sports talk and recaps, news, westerns from the old days, all sorts of movies, etc. etc. As a result, the percentage of men viewing daytime TV per minute has risen while the percentage of women---many of whom now work outside their homes---- has fallen. Also, the aging of the population has ment that more older men are available to watch than ever before.

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About the Author

Sean Hargrave is MediaPost's London Editor. You can reach him at seanhargrave@btinternet.com.

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