Editing Prime time (section)

==Asia==

===Bangladesh===
In [[Bangladesh]], the 19:00-to-22:00 time slot is known as '''prime time'''.  Several national broadcasters, like [[Maasranga Television]], Gazi TV, Channel 9, and Channel i, broadcast their prime-time shows from 20:00 to 23:00 after their primetime news at 19:00.
During [[Islamic holidays]], most of the television stations broadcast their specially-produced shows and world television premieres starting from 15:00 to midnight.{{fact|date=January 2024}}
During [[Ramadan]], the broadcasters also air special religious and cooking shows starting from 14:00 to 20:00. affecting the primetime hours.  Late-night talk shows are also aired from 01:00 to 04:00, except during Ramadan.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/channel/ntv-bangladesh/params/tvchannel/channelid-10000000016910000 |title=NTV Bangladesh TV Serials Listings, NTV Bangladesh TV Programmes, Popular Shows &#124; Times of India |website=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2017-06-29 |archive-date=2017-06-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623102631/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tv/channel/ntv-bangladesh/params/tvchannel/channelid-10000000016910000 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Religious shows are also broadcast simultaneously from 01:00, along with [[talk show]]s and news analysis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/arts-entertainment/tv/eid-delights-the-small-screen-1424986|title=Eid Delights on the Small Screen|work=The Daily Star |date=25 June 2017}}</ref>

===China===
In [[television in China]], the 19:00-to-22:00 time slot is known as '''Golden Time''' ([[Traditional Chinese characters|Traditional Chinese]]: 黄金時間; [[Simplified Chinese characters|Simplified Chinese]]: 黄金时间; [[Pinyin]]: Huángjīn shíjiān).  The term also influenced a nickname of a strip of holidays, known as [[Golden Week (China)|Golden Week]].

====Hong Kong and Macau====
Prime time usually takes place from 19:00 until 22:00. After that, programs classified as "PG" (Parental Guidance) are allowed to be broadcast. Frontline dramas appear during this time slot in [[Cantonese]], as well as movies in English.

=== India ===
In [[India]], prime time occurs between 20:00 and 23:30. Usually, programmes during prime time are domestic dramas, talent shows and reality shows.

===Indonesia===
Prime time usually takes place from 16:00 to 0:00 [[time in Indonesia|in Indonesian time zones]], and sinetrons ([[soap operas]]) dominate majority of the programming schedules.  Before 2018, daily evening newscasts would kick off primetime between 17:00 and 18:00, although some channels, notably SCTV, broadcast their daily evening newscasts earlier, usually at 16:00 or 16:30.  The practice of airing news at primetime ended in 2018 in favor of adding more sinetrons to the schedule, except for TVRI, which have kept their newscasts, ''Klik Indonesia Petang'' (at 18:00) on primetime respectively.  After prime time, programs classified as Adult, as well as Adult products (generally [[cigarette]]) commercials, may be aired.

Like other [[Islam by country|Muslim-majority nations]], there is also a "midnight prime time" during [[suhur]] while the month of [[Ramadan]] is commencing.  It takes place from 02:00 (or 02:30 in some channels) and ends at the [[Fajr prayer]] call, which varies in timing between 04:30 and 05:00.  The time slot is usually filled with entertainment and religious programming.

===Iraq===
In [[Iraq]], prime time runs from 20:00 to 23:00. The main [[news]] programs are broadcast at 20:00 and the highest-rated television program airs at 21:00.

===Japan===
In [[Television in Japan|Japanese television]], prime time runs from 19:00 to 23:00. Especially, the 19:00-to-22:00 time slot is also known as {{Nihongo|'''Golden Time'''|ゴールデン・タイム|gōruden taimu|extra=or just '''Golden'''}}. The term also influenced a nickname of a strip of holidays in [[Japan]] known as [[Golden Week (Japan)|Golden Week]].

===Malaysia===
[[Malaysia]] prime time starts with the main news from 20:00 to 20:30 (now 20:00 to 21:00) and ends either at 23:00 or 1:00, or possibly later.  Usually, programmes during prime time are domestic dramas, foreign drama series (mostly American), films, and entertainment programmes.  Programmes classified as 18 are not allowed to be broadcast before 10:00&nbsp;p.m., but on [[Radio Televisyen Malaysia]], most programmes on this slot are rated U (U means ''Umum'' in Malay and literally General Viewing or General Audiences in English) throughout the whole day.  However, programmes broadcast after 23:00 are still considered prime time.  As of 2019, [[NTV7]]'s prime time continues until 12:00&nbsp;a.m.  Programmes during prime time may have longer commercial breaks due to the number of viewers.

Some domestic prime-time productions may be affected because of certain major sporting events such as [[FIFA World Cup]]. However, only FIFA World Cup held in the [[Americas]] do not affect the domestic prime-time programmes but only during daytime.{{clarify|date=January 2024}}

=== Pakistan ===
In [[Pakistan]], prime time is from 19:00 to 00:00 [[Pakistan Standard Time]]. During this time the majority of the local channels broadcast their most popular shows. However, state channels broadcast Khabarnama (New Bulletin) from past many decades.

Like other [[Islam by country|Muslim-majority nations]], during [[Ramadan]], the broadcasters also air special religious and cooking shows starting from 14:00 to 19:00/19:30 with "Ramadan" special programs airing from 19:30/20:00 to 21:30/22:00 affecting the primetime hours for some channels.  There is also a "midnight prime time" during [[suhur]] while the month of [[Ramadan]] is commencing.  It takes place from 02:00 (or 01:45 in some channels) and ends at the [[Fajr prayer]] call, which varies in timing between 04:30 and 05:00.  Also, during other [[Islam|Islamic events]] such as [[Muharram]] and [[Rabi' al-Awwal]], some channels broadcast religious shows during day/evening time slots (between 12:00 and 19:00&mdash;time varies on channel) or late-night slot (from 22:00).

===Philippines===
{{self-contradictory|section|about=the start of prime time (20:00 vs. 18:00/19:00)|date=January 2024}}
{{Trivia section|date=May 2025}}
{{Importance section|date=May 2025}}

In the [[Philippines]], prime-time blocks usually run from 17:00 to 23:00 on weekdays, and 17:30 to 23:30 on weekends. The weekday prime-time blocks usually consists of local [[Philippine television drama]] (soap operas) and foreign television series. The network's highest-rated programs are usually aired right after the evening newscast at 18:30 or 20:00, while a foreign series (usually a [[Korean Drama]]) usually airs before the evening newscast or precedes the late night newscast. On weekends, non-scripted programming such as [[comedy]] series, talent shows, [[Reality television|reality shows]] and [[Current affairs (news format)|current affairs]] shows air in prime time. 

For the minor networks, prime time consists of American television series on weekdays, with encores of those shows on weekends. Prime time originally started earlier at around 19:00, but the evening newscasts were lengthened to 90 minutes and now start at 18:30, instead of the original one-hour newscast that starts at 18:00.

===Singapore===
In [[Singapore]], prime time begins at 18:00 on [[Channel 5 (Singaporean TV channel)|Channel 5]], 18:30 on [[Channel 8 (Singaporean TV channel)|Channel 8]] and 19:00 on [[Channel U (Singaporean TV channel)|Channel U]], [[CNA (TV network)|CNA]], [[Suria (TV channel)|Suria]], [[Vasantham (TV channel)|Vasantham]].<ref>[http://www.mda.gov.sg/Documents/AnnualReport/2013/documents/MDA_AR_Annex.pdf "MDA Annual Report Annex"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422235935/http://www.mda.gov.sg/Documents/AnnualReport/2013/documents/MDA_AR_Annex.pdf |date=2014-04-22 }}, ' '[[Media Development Authority]]' ', March 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2015.</ref> which are also the main ([[Free-to-air]]) television channels in Singapore.<ref>[[Television in Singapore]]</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mediacorp.sg/corporate-en/corporate |title=MediaCorp : Our Business |access-date=2015-04-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524070203/http://www.mediacorp.sg/corporate-en/corporate |archive-date=2015-05-24 }}</ref>

On Channel 8, prime time ends at midnight or 0:15 on weekdays, at 0:30 on Saturday nights, and at 23:30 on Sunday nights.  On Channel 5, prime time ends at 0:00 on weekdays, at 1:30 (or later) on Saturday nights, and at 0:30 on Sunday nights.  On Suria, prime time ends at 22:30 on Monday to Thursday nights, 23:30 on Friday nights, 23:00 on weekends, and at 00:30 or 01:00 on eve and actual days of public holidays.  On Vasantham, prime time ends at 23:00 on Mondays to Thursdays, midnight (or later) on Friday and Saturday nights, and at 23:30 on Sunday nights.  On Channel NewsAsia, prime time ends at 23:01, immediately after the news headlines, seven days a week; on Channel U, prime time ends at 23:00 seven days a week.  Generally, however, prime time is considered to be from 18:00 to 00:00.

===South Korea===
In [[South Korea]], prime time usually runs from 19:30 to 23:00 during weekdays, while on Saturdays and Sundays, it runs from 18:00 to 23:00. Family-oriented television shows are broadcast before 22:00, and adult-oriented television shows air after 22:00.

===Taiwan===
In [[Taiwan]], prime time (called ''bādiǎn dàng''—八點檔—in [[Mandarin Chinese]], literally eight o'clock slot) starts at 8 p.m.. [[Taiwanese television drama|Taiwanese drama]] series played then are called 8 o'clock series and are expected to have high viewer ratings. Also, the evening news usually start from 18:00 or 19:00.

===Thailand===
In [[Thailand]], prime time dramas (ละคร; lakhon) air from 20:30 to 22:30. Most dramas are [[soap opera]]s. Prime time dramas are popular and influential to Thai society.

===Vietnam===
In [[Vietnam]], prime time is also known as '''Golden Time''' ([[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]]: ''Giờ vàng'').  Prime time starts at 18:00 in the evening and ends at 22:00.