{{Short description|Videoconferencing-based audience in television programming}} {{external media | float = right | video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLQz6DCDVUg&t=12s Virtual audience during a Ellen DeGeneres Show], YouTube video | video2 = }}
A '''virtual audience''' is the use of videoconferencing as a substitute for an in-person studio audience or spectators during a television program or sporting event. A virtual audience allows users to attend a television taping or other event virtually by viewing it via livestreaming, and having audio and video of themselves streamed via webcam to screens at the studio or event site.
The practice emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to lockdowns and restrictions on gatherings preventing in-person attendance in the studio or venue.
== Implementation == Virtual audiences are often implemented using existing videoconferencing platforms such as Microsoft Teams<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Medina|first=Mark|date=July 24, 2020|title=NBA to feature 'virtual fans' at arenas for season restart|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2020/07/24/nba-virtual-fans-seen-giant-video-boards-during-games/5502996002/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924154018/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2020/07/24/nba-virtual-fans-seen-giant-video-boards-during-games/5502996002/|archive-date=September 24, 2020|access-date=July 31, 2020|website=USA Today}}</ref> or Zoom,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wagmeister|first=Elizabeth|date=2020-11-18|title=The (Talk) Show Must Go on: How Daytime TV Has Safely Continued Production Amid the Pandemic|url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/talk-shows-covid-19-drew-barrymore-wendy-williams-1234834263/|access-date=2021-08-21|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref> or with proprietary platforms, such as one developed by technology company The Famous Group,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Bickerton|first=Jake|title=Saturday Night Takeaway gets Virtual Interactive Audience|url=https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/tech/saturday-night-takeaway-gets-virtual-interactive-audience/5158460.article|access-date=2021-08-21|website=Broadcast|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Dachman|first=Jason|title=The Famous Group Blazes Virtual-Fan Trail With New WWE, US Open Integrations|url=https://www.sportsvideo.org/2020/09/14/the-famous-group-blazes-virtual-fan-trail-with-new-wwe-us-open-integrations/|access-date=2021-08-21|website=Sports Video Group|date=14 September 2020 |language=en}}</ref> and an internal system designed by the BBC.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Case study: The BBC Virtual Audience and CEDAR – IABM|url=https://theiabm.org/case-study-the-bbc-virtual-audience-and-cedar/|access-date=2021-08-21|website=theiabm.org|date=18 August 2021 }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last1=Kanter|first1=Tom Grater, Jake|last2=Grater|first2=Tom|last3=Kanter|first3=Jake|date=2021-04-12|title=Virtual BAFTAs Get Thumbs Up From Industry Despite Audience Noise Confusion; TV Ratings Not So Pretty|url=https://deadline.com/2021/04/virtual-baftas-thumbs-up-industry-despite-audience-noise-confusion-tv-ratings-not-so-pretty-1234732278/|access-date=2021-08-21|website=Deadline|language=en-US}}</ref>
Members of a virtual audience witness the event or the recording of a program via livestreaming.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":3" /> In turn, the audio and video feeds from their webcams can be aggregated by the production staff and incorporated into the program or event, such as the audio mix,<ref name=":4" /> and presenting the video from feeds inside the studio or venue as either a mosaic on video walls,<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|last=Gonzalez|first=Sandra|title=TV shows dealing with live audience restrictions deserve applause|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/20/entertainment/virtual-audience/index.html|access-date=2021-08-21|website=CNN|date=20 October 2020 }}</ref> or on individual screens.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|last=Del Rosario|first=Alexandra|date=2020-10-29|title='The Ellen DeGeneres Show' Welcomes Back Limited, Masked Live Studio Audience|url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/the-ellen-degeneres-show-live-studio-audience-1234606151/|access-date=2020-11-10|website=Deadline|language=en-US}}</ref>
== Notable examples == Virtual audiences became prominent on many non-scripted television programs after their return to production, including variety shows,<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 10, 2020 |title=WATCH: What changed as 'Showtime' went live without studio audience due to coronavirus |url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/03/10/20/watch-what-changed-as-showtime-went-live-without-studio-audience-due-to-coronavirus |access-date=November 22, 2020 |website=ABS-CBN News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 13, 2020 |title=WATCH: How social distancing changed 'It's Showtime' amid coronavirus concerns |url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/03/13/20/watch-how-social-distancing-changed-its-showtime-amid-coronavirus-concerns |access-date=November 22, 2020 |website=ABS-CBN News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 26, 2020 |title=WATCH: How studio-less 'Showtime' held live telecast amid coronavirus quarantine |url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/03/26/20/watch-how-studio-less-showtime-held-live-telecast-amid-coronavirus-quarantine |access-date=November 22, 2020 |website=ABS-CBN News |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Corporation">{{Cite web |last=Corporation |first=ABS-CBN |title="It's Showtime," "Magandang Buhay" hosts say hello to viewers live from their homes {{!}} ABS-CBN Corporate |url=https://corporate.abs-cbn.com/newsroom/news-releases/2020/3/27/its-showtime-magandang-buhay-hosts-say-hello?lang=en |access-date=November 22, 2020 |website=ABS-CBN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 8, 2021 |title='Madlang people' finally return to 'Showtime' as virtual audience |url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/06/08/21/madlang-people-finally-return-to-showtime-as-virtual-audience |access-date=August 24, 2025 |website=ABS-CBN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=April 18, 2021 |title='ASAP' returns via digital format as PH combats COVID-19 |url=https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/03/29/20/asap-returns-via-digital-format-as-ph-combats-covid-19|website=ABS-CBN News|language=en}}</ref> reality competitions,<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 23, 2021 |title=9 historic moments of "PBB Connect" |url=https://corporate.abs-cbn.com/newsroom/listicles/2021/3/23/historic-moments-pbb-connect?lang=en |access-date=August 25, 2025 |website=ABS-CBN Corporate |language=en}}</ref> game shows,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mitovich |first=Matt Webb |date=2020-10-20 |title=Let's Make a Deal: Socially Distanced Set Features Mostly Virtual Audience |url=https://tvline.com/2020/10/20/lets-make-a-deal-new-socially-distanced-set-virtual-audience/ |access-date=2021-08-21 |website=TVLine |language=en-US}}</ref> and talk shows.<ref name=":6" /><ref name="Corporation"/> A virtual audience used for the British variety and game show ''Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway'' was designed to allow for two-way interaction with the hosts and the show, handling up to 2,000 participants.<ref name=":1" />
Some shows used a mixture of both in-person and virtual audiences; ''Let's Make a Deal'' maintained a smaller number of in-person audience members as contestants, but added a virtual audience whose members could also participate in the show.<ref>{{Cite web|last=White|first=Peter|date=2020-10-20|title='Let's Make A Deal' Returns To The Studio With Redesigned Set & Preps First CBS Primetime Specials|url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/lets-make-a-deal-studio-return-primetime-specials-1234599941/|access-date=2021-08-21|website=Deadline|language=en-US}}</ref> Similarly, ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' placed virtual audience members on individual screens replacing seats in its audience area, which were later mixed with limited in-person audience members.<ref name=":6" /> ''The Masked Singer'' used a mixture of stock footage and limited in-person audience members to preserve the illusion of a full audience, but did employ a virtual audience for a "fan vote" feature used as part of the judging process.<ref name="Deadline production changes">{{cite web |author=Peter White |date=September 21, 2020 |title=''The Masked Singer'': Fox's Rob Wade On How The Mystery Singing Competition Got Back On Stage |url=https://deadline.com/2020/09/the-masked-singer-rob-wade-return-to-production-1234581115/ |access-date=September 21, 2020 |work=Deadline Hollywood}}</ref>
Virtual audiences were sometimes used during sports and sports-related events, particularly when they were held behind closed doors. During the 2020 NFL draft, a virtual "Inner Circle" of fans from each team was displayed on a television behind Commissioner Roger Goodell (who presented the draft as a virtual event from his home) during the first and second rounds; participants were chosen by each team, and video feeds from each fan were fed using a WebRTC client and a cloud server.<ref name=":2" /> The NBA Bubble featured virtual spectators displayed on screens along its courts, which were powered and sponsored by Microsoft Teams. Special guests such as NBA alumni were also present in the lobbies, with viewers given a chance to interact with them during the halftime break.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite web|title=Surreal experience of being an NBA virtual fan shows why technology is nothing without humanity behind it|url=https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/surreal-experience-of-being-an-nba-virtual-fan-shows-why-technology-is-nothing-without-humanity-behind-it/|access-date=2021-08-23|website=CBSSports.com|date=31 August 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
The professional wrestling promotion WWE introduced a closed studio known as the "ThunderDome", which featured a large-scale virtual audience displayed on multiple tiers of screens formed into a curved "grandstand". The ThunderDome stage was used at multiple venues in Florida, and replaced a smaller-scale studio at its WWE Performance Center training facility in Orlando. It was used for WWE's main weekly programs and almost all pay-per-view events from August 2020 through June 2021, before WWE returned to hosting in-person touring events.<ref name=":19">{{Cite magazine|last=Barrasso|first=Justin|title=WWE Turning Orlando's Amway Center into 'WWE ThunderDome'|url=https://www.si.com/wrestling/2020/08/17/wwe-summerslam-location-amway-center-orlando|access-date=2020-08-17|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=17 August 2020 |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name=":20">{{Cite web|last=Otterson|first=Joe|date=2020-08-17|title=WWE to Establish 'ThunderDome' Residency in Orlando's Amway Center|url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/wwe-amway-center-thunderdome-1234736530/|access-date=2020-08-17|website=Variety|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-06-17|title=Contender Profile: WWE Production Designer Jason Robinson on Creating Big Fan Experiences During Pandemic|url=https://www.btlnews.com/crafts/production-design/wwe-jason-robinson/|access-date=2021-07-21|website=Below the Line|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-07-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721065957/https://www.btlnews.com/crafts/production-design/wwe-jason-robinson/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Dachman |first=Jason |date=July 16, 2021 |title=WWE Returns to the Road With 25-City Tour, Adds AR Steadicam and High-Res LED Screen |url=https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/07/16/wwe-returns-to-the-road-with-25-city-tour-adds-ar-steadicam-and-high-res-led-screen/ |access-date=2021-07-21 |website=Sports Video Group |language=en}}</ref> WWE's third brand, NXT, moved from Full Sail University to the Performance Center in October 2020, adopting a new stage design that similarly incorporated a virtual audience, along with limited in-person attendees.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY SHUTS DOWN, NXT TAPINGS HEADING TO WWE PC {{!}} PWInsider.com |url=https://www.pwinsider.com/article/134680/full-sail-university-shuts-down-nxt-tapings-heading-to-wwe-pc.html?p=1 |access-date=2020-11-02 |website=www.pwinsider.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pollock |first=John |date=2020-10-02 |title=NXT moving to the Performance Center beginning with TakeOver |url=https://www.postwrestling.com/2020/10/01/nxt-moving-to-the-performance-center-beginning-with-takeover/ |access-date=2020-11-02 |website=POST Wrestling |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Barrasso |first=Justin |title=NXT Unveiling the Capitol Wrestling Center at Sunday's TakeOver 31 |url=https://www.si.com/wrestling/2020/10/04/nxt-unveiling-capitol-wrestling-center |access-date=2020-10-30 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=4 October 2020 |language=en-us}}</ref> NXT would later reinstate a full-capacity studio audience in June 2021.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=Jeremy |date=April 7, 2021 |title=Note On Audience Changes at NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver |url=https://411mania.com/wrestling/note-on-audience-changes-at-nxt-takeover-stand-deliver/ |access-date=April 8, 2021 |website=411mania}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Dias |first1=Luke |date=June 13, 2021 |title=WWE Achieves Record High CWC Attendance for NXT TakeOver: In Your House |url=https://www.essentiallysports.com/wwe-news-raw-smackdown-nxt-wwe-achieves-record-high-cwc-attendance-for-nxt-takeover-in-your-house/ |access-date=June 15, 2021 |website=EssentiallySports}}</ref>
== Reception == The use of an audio-only virtual audience during the 74th British Academy Film Awards faced mixed reception; ''Deadline Hollywood'' noted that it "certainly added more atmosphere than BAFTA would've gotten from a silent Royal Albert Hall", but that some viewers and journalists questioned whether the show was actually using a canned laugh track and crowd noise.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Power|first=Ed|date=2021-04-11|title=Baftas 2021 review: canned laughter fails to save this cheerfully flaky ceremony|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2021/04/11/baftas-2021-review-canned-laughter-fails-save-cheerfully-flaky/|access-date=2021-08-21|issn=0307-1235}}</ref>
Multiple writers have described virtual audiences as being dystopian; some writers drew comparisons to "Fifteen Million Merits"—a 2011 episode of the British sci-fi anthology ''Black Mirror'' where an in-universe talent show is depicted as having an audience of 3D avatars on a screen''.''<ref>{{Cite news|last=Brown|first=Kat|date=2020-09-30|title=Black Mirror meets Britain's Got Talent: the dystopian nightmare of TV's virtual audiences|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/black-mirror-meets-britains-got-talent-dystopian-nightmare-tvs/|access-date=2021-08-23|issn=0307-1235}}</ref><ref name=":7" />
== See also == * Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television * Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports
== References == {{Reflist}}
<!--- Categories ---> Category:Television terminology Category:Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports Category:Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television