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Temps de lecture : 4 min 34

The second part of the evening, between 10:30 PM and midnight, known as the "night-time," has its specific programming and audience practices. Some trends include a strong presence of television, music, and digital practices, with a slightly older audience on average due to the late hour. Médiamétrie analyses night-time practices.

Television dominates night-time video content

The late part of the evening is a privileged time to watch video content: 25 million people in France watch video content on television, VoD, SVoD, online video sharing platforms, or social media, between 10:30 PM and midnight[1]. This represents 41% of the population aged 4 and over.

The night-time audience is, on average, older, particularly for television and SVoD.

Television programmes dominate the viewing of video content during this time slot, accounting for 92% of the total videos watched.

On television, between January and August 2023, the night-time gathered an average of 12.5 million viewers between 10:30 PM and midnight[2]. In total, 22.6 million viewers were in contact with a TV program during this time slot.

The night-time audience contributes to 10% of the total television audience for the entire day. This contribution to the daily audience is slightly higher among household shoppers and the 25-49 age group, where the "night" represents 12% of the daily audience.

The second part of the evening is also a suitable time to catch up on missed programs. Viewers tend to watch more time-shifted programmes during the night-time than during other times of the day. Time-shifted  content represents 9% of the night-time audience, following a trend observed during prime time, while it accounts for 7% over the whole day.

Regarding television channels, 24-hour news channels, particularly successful over access-time, continue to perform well over the late evening. While their prime-time performance reaches 3.1% audience share, it rises to 6.5% in night-time.

Over the late evening, Médiamétrie observes three approaches by TV channels in terms of programming. Firstly, some television channels extend programmes that started during prime time into the night-time, especially game shows or new episodes of crime series. Alternatively, channels broadcast new, original programsme, such as spin-offs derived from existing shows, dedicated solely to this time slot. Finally, the second part of the evening can be dedicated to reruns following new episodes aired during prime time, especially for crime series.

Digital Platforms Preferred for Audio Program Listening

In the late evening, audio content is primarily listened to through digital platforms. Regardless of the medium, around 70% of audio content is listened to digitally after 9 PM[3]. This is when music audio streaming is most popular, accounting for 29%, surpassing live radio (27%) which dominates the rest of the day. Evenings are a preferred time for listening to podcasts, with 20% of podcast listening occurring after 9 PM.

The popularity of digital audio platforms in the evening is particularly correlated with their appeal to those under 25, who are significant listeners of audio in the late evening. Young individuals aged 15-24 particularly enjoy listening to audio programs in the evening, with 39% of their total audio consumption taking place between 6 PM and midnight.

When focusing on radio, it brings together a diverse audience during night-time, mirroring the daytime listener profile. After 10 PM, listeners prioritize thematic programmes but still favor generalist programmes. As for music programmes, their audience is slightly younger during the night-time[4].

While mornings represent the definite prime-time for radio, the night-time is also a suitable period for radio listening. Depending on the age group, between one-third and nearly half of the population listens to the radio at least once a month in the late evening[5].

Most radio listening in the night-time occurs at home, but those under 50 tend to listen to the radio in their cars in the evening. Over one-third of their radio listening takes place outside the home in the evening, primarily while driving.

Internet for Communication and Entertainment

An average of 27.9 million internet users log on to the internet every day between 10:30 PM and midnight on weekdays (27.8 million on weekends)[6]. This accounts for nearly half (44%) of the French population aged 2 and over.

In terms of content, between 10:30 PM and midnight, nearly three out of four internet users (72.2% on weekdays, 73.2% on weekends) access websites categorized as social media and messaging. One in five visits online gaming websites (20.8% on weekdays, 20.5% on weekends) or video and cinema websites (18.9% on weekdays, 19.0% on weekends), and one in ten visits news websites (10.4% on weekdays, 9.4% on weekends).

On average, 5 million individuals aged 15-24 log on to the internet every weekday between 10:30 PM and midnight on weekdays, and 5.1 million on weekends. This age group overuses social media and messaging: 90.8% visit these sites during this time on weekdays, and 90.3% on weekends. About 29.1% visit video and cinema websites (29.1% on weekdays, 28.2% on weekends), and 13% visit music websites.

For their part, 10 million individuals aged 50 and over, on average, connect to the internet every day between 10:30 PM and midnight on weekdays, and 9.8 million on weekends. They mainly visit news websites (17% on weekdays, 16.3% on weekends) and online gaming websites (24.3% on weekdays, 23.8% on weekends).

Laure Osmanian Molinero