INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTERS AND COMMUNICATIONS Volume 8, 2014 Dayparting in Online Media: The case of Greece Andreas Veglis was reasonable to hypothesize that dayparts on the Internet do Abstract— The concept of dayparting has been employed not exist since people can access the Internet from virtually for quite some time in the broadcasting industry. A daypart can anywhere at any time. For example web sites’ content, social be defined as a consecutive block of time on similar days networking posting, blog comments are available 24 hours a during which the size of the audience is homogeneous as is the day, seven days a week [2]. A portal includes news every hour characterization of the group using the medium. Until recently of the day. The headlines may change with time but the genre Internet media planning has been characterized by overall site of the web site remains constant [3]. reach, demographics and content affinity without particular Nevertheless this perspective changed when two surveys regard for how audience dynamics change by time of day. The conducted in 2002 and a third one conducted in 2007 found existence of Internet dayparts can have major implications on that dayparts are also applicable to the Internet use and more media organization that continuously update their content particularly to online media [2]-[4]. offered by internet tools and services. This paper investigates The existence of Internet dayparts can have major the existence of dayparts in the usage of various publishing implications on news web sites that continuously update their channels employed by Greek media web sites. More precisely we investigate the traffic patterns of Greek media web sites, as content [5]. In this case the existence of dayparts may play an well as internet usage habits of Greek users. In the case of the important role in the success of the web site. The news may internet users the study investigates the existence of dayparts exist indefinitely on a news web site but there are not easy to for various devices that are being utilized in order to access the be found if they are not displayed on the web site’s first page. internet as well as internet services that constitute different When a news web site publishes many articles per day, it is publishing channels for media organizations. From the data we quite common for the users to search extensively in order to are able to identify distinct Internet dayparts that exhibit retrieve a particular news article that was available on the first similar usage characteristics. page only a few hours ago. Media companies can adapt their news publishing cycle to the access habits of internet users Keywords— dayparts, Greek media, web site traffic, usage thus accomplishing higher user traffic. patterns, publishing channels. But it is not only the WWW that requires study concerning the existence of dayparts. As technology for the distribution of I. INTRODUCTION journalistic information in various forms has become more he concept of dayparting is quite familiar in broadcast easily available, the tendency has been for the media T media [1]. Daypart can be defined as a consecutive block organizations to have several publishing channels at their of time on similar days (weekdays or weekends) during which, disposal [6], [7]. Additionally media organization are changing the size of the audience is homogeneous as is the their market model and distribute the news in a synchronized characterization of the group using the medium [2]. These manner via different channels and guide their audience from subsections have a distinct audience and attitude that fit one medium to the next in order to generate brand loyalty. terrifically with some advertisers and badly with others. In This ability is supported by computer supported collaborative radio and TV, each daypart has a different personality that is work systems that have been introduced in media reflected in its programming and in its advertising [3]. organizations [8], [9]. The synchronous use of multiple But although the issue of dayparting has been investigated publishing channels enables a media organization to make quite thoroughly in the TV and Radio industries, it has caught contact with its audience in a comprehensive and cross media little attention as far as Internet is concerned. Until recently, way. Media use these channels as independent delivery paths. Internet media planning has been characterized by overall site In other words the same information is available via many reach, demographics and content affinity without particular different channels [10]. Thus the existence of dayparts in all regard for how audience dynamics change by time of day. It publishing channels that media organizations utilize in order to deliver their products is a issue that needs to be investigated. One other aspect that must be taken into account is the fact This work was supported by Aristotle University Research Committee. A. Veglis is a professor in the school of Journalism and Mass that the nature of the news is topical and that means that if they Communication, in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (phone: are not consumed while they are recent (fresh) they lose their +302310-992092; fax: +302310-992098; e-mail: veglis@ jour.auth.gr). ISSN: 2074-1294 77 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTERS AND COMMUNICATIONS Volume 8, 2014 value [11]. For example the updates of an evolving story lose II. LITERATURE REVIEW their importance very rapidly. Thus by modifying content and Broadcast media have been employing dayparts for quite layout of the first page throughout the day, online media can some time. Dayparts for TV and radio represent a subsection meet users needs by offering different information at different of the day during which a program or a group of similar or day parts [1]. It has been proposed that the best strategy is to related programs are broadcasted. Each daypart has a discrete promote news stories in the morning and entertainment stories audience [3]. Dayparting is entirely based on the viewer’s in the afternoon [11]. local time [12]. This paper investigates the existence of dayparts on the use Back in 2002 two studies confirmed that temporal of the Internet by Greek internet users. The study is focused on influences affect Internet users in USA [1]. Specifically MORI the internet access patterns of Greek media. Dayparts are (a research company) conducted a research for the Newspaper investigated in two ways. More precisely we investigate the Association of America (NAA), which studied the temporal traffic patterns of greek media web sites, as well internet usage opportunities for online newspapers [3]. The results of the habits of greek internet users. In the case of the internet users study confirmed the existence of dayparts in the Internet use of the study investigates the existence of dayparts for various online newspapers. In other words users’ priorities appeared to devices that are being utilized in order to access the internet as change across a 24-hour period. Another study conducted by well as internet services that constitute different publishing OPA (Online Publishers Associations) provided additional channels for media organizations. evidence to support the existence of five distinct dayparts on The rest of the paper is organized as follows. Section II the Internet, which differ in usage levels, demographics and includes a literature review on previous studies that addressed type of content accessed [2]. Five years later Burst Media the issue of Internet dayparting. The various publishing conducted a survey that focused on the Internet habits of channels employed by media organization are briefly women, age 25 year and older [13]. The survey identified discussed in section III. The following section includes the different usage patterns in different time periods. One year methodology of the study. Section V presents and discusses later a study was published that focused on media consumption the results of two surveys that investigated the existence of [11]. The data of the study included 4 years of biannual dayparts. A daypart model that is applicable in the case of daypart media consumption surveys. The study compared new Greece is described in Section VI. Concluding remarks and media usage with other incumbent media (newspapers, future extensions of this work can be found in the last section. magazines, radio and television) [14]. Bari (a research company), conducted daypart surveys in Greece by assuming 4 *these dayparts apply only to weekdays. OPA proposed a distinct daypart for the weekend. **there is no distinction between weekdays and weekends Fig. 1 Definition of dayparts in various surveys ISSN: 2074-1294 78 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTERS AND COMMUNICATIONS Volume 8, 2014 equal dayparts in a day (6 hours each) [14]. Finally Avraam phone. Although they include browsers that enable users to proposed a dayparting model for online media consumption in access regular web sites, they incorporate small screens and Greece that employed four dayparts during the weekdays [15]. thus web surfing is not an easy task. Smartphones are devices As mentioned earlier dayparts were employed in broadcast that users have in their reach almost all the time [18]. More media. Thus all the attempts to propose Internet dayparts were than half of smartphone users admit that they look at their based or were influenced by this previous experience. We phone as soon as they wake up [17]. That is why many media must note that dayparts were mainly a tool for the advertising companies are offering special designed applications (called industry, which now acknowledges Internet and WWW in apps) that are able to display news articles that include limited particular as a new ground to expand to. graphics (with basic navigation functions) but all the necessary Each of the surveys, mentioned in the literature review, text and pictures for each article [24].