Harness the Hype
What's Inside
Has your audience shrunk, or did they just go somewhere you’re not getting paid for? Every publisher covers the big moments: a match, an election, a red carpet. But the conversation around it, the reaction, the debate? That happens over on social.
We analysed 29,000+ comments across ten major events to find out exactly what moves audiences to start engaging. The same patterns appeared event after event, and those patterns tell you exactly what your live format needs to do.
For sports publishers Built around the UEFA Nations League Final 2025, UEFA Women’s EURO Final 2025, Super Bowl 2026, Paris Olympics 100m final 2024, and F1 World Championship 2025.
- What do fans actually talk about during live sports events? Discover why 35.9% of all engagement is about individual players and personalities, not the scoreline, and what that means for how you structure a show.
- Do men’s and women’s sports audiences engage differently? Find out why treating them as the same audience is costing publishers, and what formats work for each.
- Why is F1 the most valuable live format in sport right now? Understand why 46% of F1 conversation is about drivers and off-track drama, not racing, and how to build around it without needing broadcast rights.
- What does a 60-minute live sports show actually look like? Get a full running order from pre-match to post-match, with every segment mapped to what your audience is already talking about.
For news and cultural publishers Built around the UK General Election 2024, US Presidential Election 2024, Met Gala 2025, Grammys 2025, and Oscars 2025.
- What makes election coverage so uniquely engaging? Learn why 32.81% of election comments are driven by tribalism and conflict, and why publishers who try to moderate that instinct are misreading the room.
- Why are music and film events such different commercial opportunities? Discover the distinct engagement patterns behind the Grammys and the Oscars, and why they need completely different formats.
- What does the Met Gala tell us about reaction-driven content? Find out why fast reaction voting, updated in real time, is the format this audience is already asking for.
How do you monetise a news moment ethically? Understand where the line is between engagement and exploitation, and how charitable integration opens up a new format for crisis coverage.
- Why do some live shopping events convert and others don’t? Understand the five conditions that have to align before a viewer is ready to buy, and why missing just one of them changes everything.
- What actually triggers impulse buying in a live environment? Discover how emotional intensity, not discounts or countdown timers, is the real driver of in-the-moment purchase decisions.
- Does leading with storytelling really outperform leading with a deal? Find out why audiences who connect with the story before the offer are 47% more likely to buy, and why discount-driven buyers report the lowest post-purchase satisfaction.
- Do countdown timers still work? Explore why “confident and engaged” consistently outranks “rushed or pressured” as a purchase emotion, and what that means for how you structure a live event.
- Is social proof as important as brands think it is? See why subtle participation signals outperform aggressive social validation, and what our data reveals about how viewers actually respond to others buying.
- What role does friction play in live commerce drop-off? Learn why ease of action is the most overlooked factor in live conversion, and where brands are losing buyers they’ve already won.
Why Download?
Publishers are navigating a structural shift. Google algorithm updates have hit organic traffic hard. Ad revenue on passive content has fallen. And 54% of US adults now get their news from social media and video platforms, ahead of both TV news and news websites.
The audience hasn’t gone anywhere. They’re just having the conversation on platforms you’re not getting paid for, and 63% of them are actively engaging with social media during live events.
Harness the Hype gives you the data behind what audiences actually want to engage with, a practical format guide for building live shows around major moments, and a monetisation model that turns participation into sponsorship inventory. Two reports, one download.
Figuring out the format will give you a significant head start on your competitors.
How do you sell this to sponsors? Download our companion guide, How to Sell Live Moments, for a practical framework on packaging and pricing interactive inventory without needing a broadcast licence.
