Choosing dayparts for TV advertising: is prime time right for every brand?

The most common request we hear in television planning is prime time. The evening daypart carries the highest ratings and the highest unit cost, but not every campaign's objective is broad reach. Daypart selection should be considered together with the audience's viewing hours and the campaign's frequency needs.

Daytime and late-night dayparts deliver far more impressions for the same budget. For audiences such as homemakers, retirees or shift workers, daytime can be more accurate than prime time. On news channels, the morning and evening news blocks are the strongest option for reaching decision-makers.

The planning criterion is not the daypart itself but the rating within the target audience and the cost per thousand. When channel ratings are examined by audience breakdown, prime time's total rating may be high while its share within the target audience is low.

Our recommendation is to combine the evening daypart for reach with daytime for frequency rather than piling the budget into one slot, and to compare planned with delivered ratings after the flight. On the channels we represent we provide that comparison together with proof of airing.