prime time for the television networks also is prime time for their Web sites, according to a new report by Nielsen//NetRatings.

The weekday hours of 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. account for 40% of the total time spent at NBC.com, while they account for around 30% of time at the ABC Primetime and 26% of time spent at Fox Broadcasting sites, Nielsen//NetRatings found. But overall, those hours account for just 14% of all time spent online, according to the report.

TV networks geared towards youngsters also prove popular during the after-school hours of 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., reports Nielsen//NetRatings. At the Cartoon Network, for instance, around 24% of total time spent at the site occurs then.

While it might seem as if heavy Web activity during TV-watching hours detracts from the networks, Nielsen//NetRatings suggests that media usage isn't a zero-sum game. On the contrary, the research company proposes that one reason for high Web site usage during typical viewing hours is that the TV programs are driving people to the Web. "The advent of interactive television such as voting online for contestants on 'Dancing with the Stars' and 'Grease: You're the One that I Want,' encourages the simultaneous consumption of TV and Web content," media analyst Michael Pond said in the report.