Reference library · Media planning
Prime Time vs Off-Prime
Prime Time is the daypart with the channel's highest audience concentration, usually the evening block, where inventory carries the highest ratings and the highest CPT/CPP. Off-Prime is every other daypart (daytime, early morning, late night) with lower ratings and lower rates. The split is how rate cards, avails, and schedule mixes are structured, not a fixed clock window.
Worked example
A 30" spot in Prime Time (20:00–23:00) on a major commercial channel in Poland delivers 4.2 GRP at a cost of €3,800, a CPP of about €905. The same 30" spot in Off-Prime (14:00–16:00) delivers 1.1 GRP at €650, a CPP of about €591. Building 100 GRP entirely from Prime spots costs roughly €90,500; building it entirely from Off-Prime spots costs roughly €59,100 — Prime buys audience faster per spot but at a higher price per rating point.
How it is used
Planners use Prime for reach bursts, launches, and high-attention formats, and Off-Prime to build frequency and stretch budget once initial reach is secured. Rate negotiations and avails are handled separately by daypart because sellers price each one against its own supply and demand. The recurring mistake is assuming Prime means a fixed clock window (e.g. always 20:00–23:00) across every channel and market, when each broadcaster defines its own prime block based on its own audience curve.
The common mistake
Confirm each channel's own prime-time hours before buying, rather than assuming a standard 20:00–23:00 window applies across all broadcasters.