primetime
Television's golden hours
Primetime is the evening hours when television viewership peaks, typically 8–11 PM.
Networks schedule their most popular shows and charge advertisers premium rates during primetime.
The term extends to anything operating at peak capacity or importance: a primetime player, ready for primetime.
Something not ready for primetime is amateurish or underprepared.
Interconnected system
- cableHeavy-duty woven line
- satelliteOrbiting celestial body
- ratingsEvaluative scores assigned
- NielsenTV ratings firm
viewership · advertising · commercials · sponsorship · airwaves · telecast · livestream · programming
Evaluative scores assigned
- viewershipCollective television audience
- optimalMost desirable outcome
- premiumAdded cost for better
- covetedGreatly desired by many
competitive · lucrative · flagship · marquee · top-rated
Episodic TV comedy series
- soap-operaSerialized melodramatic television drama
- premiereFirst public performance
- lineupOrdered list of participants
- showrunnerTV series creative head
episodic · serialized · pilot · finale · cliffhanger · spin-off · crossover
Evening meal period
network
Interconnected system
Nielsen · viewership · advertising · commercials · sponsorship · airwaves · telecast · livestream · programming · scheduling
ratings
Evaluative scores assigned
- viewershipCollective television audience
- optimalMost desirable outcome
- premiumAdded cost for better
coveted · competitive · lucrative · flagship · marquee · top-rated
sitcom
Episodic TV comedy series
- soap-operaSerialized melodramatic television drama
- premiereFirst public performance
- lineupOrdered list of participants
showrunner · episodic · serialized · pilot · finale · cliffhanger · spin-off · crossover
dinner-hour
Evening meal period
- Television Historygolden age, broadcast networks, network television, color TV, live broadcasts
- TV lingoon air, off air, showrunner, cliffhanger, cue
- TV programmingtalk shows, game shows, sitcoms, reality shows, cooking shows
- TV Daypartsdaytime, late night, Saturday morning, news hour, family hour
- TV terminologyTV drama, live broadcast, screenwriting, TV ratings, cable drama
- mediatelevision, mass media, news, broadcasting, video
primetimelate night
Time near midnight
daytime · overnight · off-peak · early morning · dead zone
primetimeminor league
Lower-tier professional sports
second-string · bush league · amateur hour · B-list · small-time
primetimeoff-peak
Outside busiest hours
second-tier · marginal · low-profile · obscure · B-list
time, prime, primary, primer, primarily, primed, primeval, priming