Ismira Lutfia – Though the month of Ramadan is supposed to be a time of spiritual reflection, TV ratings show that most people are tuning in to reality shows as soon as they break their fasts.

The most watched entertainment program during the fast breaking time is Indosiar's dating show "Take Me Out Indonesia," according to a survey of audiences aged over five years old in 10 cities across the country, conducted from Aug. 22 to Sep. 7 by AGB Nielsen Media Research.

"Take Me Out Indonesia" has a 30.6 percent audience share, and is followed by Trans TV's reality show "Termehek-mehek" ("Overwhelmed"), which attracted 21.9 percent of viewers.

"Reality shows and drama series are still the most watched programs during the fast breaking time despite the increased airtime for religious shows," Hellen Katherina, a director at the television rating agency, said on Thursday. "Even though this is Ramadan... viewers still prefer to watch entertainment shows," she added.

These entertainment shows are also a hit during the wee hours of the morning, when Muslims wake up to take their pre-dawn meals between 3 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.

Muhammad Izzul Muslimin, a member of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission, said he was advised by a television ratings agency that audiences preferred entertainment programs during the predawn meal because they were more suitable for people fighting off sleepiness.

"That's why the ratings for such programs are high," Izzul said last week, adding it was understandable that broadcasters would prefer to air the popular entertainment shows rather than religious shows during the early hours.

Data from Nielsen Media confirmed that TV stations were airing more of these shows during this time slot.

"There is a larger portion of entertainment shows during the pre-dawn meal time," said Andini Wijendaru, a spokesperson from AGB Nielsen Media Research, adding that the time allocated for entertainment programs increased from 24 to 27 percent.

The preference for entertainment shows prevails despite the fact that religious programs are also enjoying more airtime.

"There's a three percentage point increase in airtime for religious shows from 3 percent to 6 percent of a day's broadcasting," Andini said.

Among religious shows, the programs that scooped the highest ratings were Trans TV's comedy series "Saatnya Kita Sahur" ("Time for Our Pre-dawn Meal") which has nearly 1.7 million viewers. In second place was "Mukjizat Shodaqoh" ("The Miracle of Charity"), which tells stories about miracles that have happened to philanthropists and broadcasts testimonies from people who regularly give alms. It managed to draw over 1.6 million viewers.

Andini said the average total hours of television viewing per person per day increased during Ramadan from 2 hours 52 minutes, to 3 hours 30 minutes, with the pre-dawn meal and fast-breaking times the two main times drawing more viewers.

"Most housewives watched television during the pre-dawn meal time, while students make up the most viewers during the fast-breaking time," Andini said.

He added that the majority of viewers for all airtime segments were people whose monthly spending power was Rp 1.8 million ($181) and below.