Adweek recently did an article on a new media usage study by Integrated Media Measurement (IMM). The study’s principal finding was that “the number of prime-time viewers who simultaneously go online while they watch TV more than doubles from Monday to Thursday night… rising from a low of 5.8 percent on Monday to a high of 15.9 percent on Thursday.”

The rise in online activity on Wednesday and Thursday was in part due, as IMM’s Director of Strategic Initiatives, Matt Reid, believed since viewers were, “…going online to prepare for weekend activities later in the week.” I found it surprising that the article did not mention anywhere the workweek as a factor, and that people might simply be more stressed out on Mondays than Thursdays, and therefore less likely to be multitasking.

I think it’s normal to expect that during the initial part of the workweek, viewers are simply less energetic and would naturally avoid ‘hot media‘ like the internet. Not coincidentally, stress relieving comedies have always been programmed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Hit comedies like Everybody Loves Raymond, Two and a Half Men, Scrubs, Will & Grace, Frasier, Just Shoot Me got their start on those nights. Conversely, Wednesdays and Thursdays have been home to hit dramas like ER, The West Wing, Law & Order, CSI and Lost. As appealing as these shows are, they would not be programmed for a Monday night audience.

I admit that there are a few caveats to this argument. First off, Will & Grace, Scrubs and Frasier were later moved to NBC’s ‘Must See TV‘ Thursdays, but that was done only after established hits had ended leaving glaring vacancies there. Regardless, they began as comedies designed to satisfy early weekday escapism. I would also argue that NBC’s ‘Must-See TV’ Thursday was a special case, a variety night that was always anchored by the network’s strongest drama be it Hill Street Blues or ER. Finally I concede that there are certain exceptions like 24, which has been a huge success on Mondays but then again Fox has always been an effective counterprogrammer.