Betting on TV Shows
Reality TV shows, competition shows, and award shows have been around for years and the firm grasp on the public viewing audiences’ hearts says they will be around for years to come. Adding to the normal viewing and voting experience popular competition and award shows offer, people have taken to placing bets on different factors of these shows for extra excitement. People can bet on the long-term or the short-term; big major changes, wins, or losses; or even factors that are entirely outside the normal competition areas like role or format changes. With so many details, and with the huge popularity of the shows on television each year, reality television is becoming a more and more prominent category to bet on.
Different sports books offer different things to those looking to bet on their favorite shows, but nearly any that have decided to include non-sports television in lists will have the question of “who will win?” Whether it’s a singing event show like The Voice, or X-Factor; or a brutally cerebral reality show like Big Brother, choosing an overall winner is a big, long-term decision betters can make and just wait for the final results. Some sports books will offer more in-depth betting like the chance to bet on which contestant may be elected off the show next, who will make it to the “final four”, or even the gender of the competition show’s outright winner. Some books even advertise the ability to bet on outside factors that do not affect the show’s current setup, format or contestants. Instead focus on next year’s possible changing of judges or whether or not the competition will even be continued next season; rumors often play a large part in deciding whether or not these are even worth investigating, but that is just one more part of the fun.
As with regular sports betting, there are different types of bets when it comes to TV show betting. The most popular, firm, long-term bet is the money line bet, deciding whether a certain person will win their competition show or not. Larger bookmakers will also allow over/under betting, including how many votes from the public a contestant might get (for public, call-in events); these can be extremely fun for betters, as you can continue to bet after each night’s performance for continual opportunities to beat the odds. And finally, for those sports books that want to allow even further fun and really show off their computing power, spread betting can be placed, allowing betters to guess at the little details, like the difference in votes between one contestant and another.
Betting on these will be a bit different from sports betting, which can often rely on statistical trends. These shows are not exactly like sports; they rely more on contestants’ state of mind, ability to take criticism and turn it into results. The best chance betters will have is to pay close attention to competition trends (such as having underdogs intentionally brought to final competitions so people can either vote against the stand-out or the up-and-comer) and gossip (like when “judgeless” shows rely on betrayals or a contestant’s ability to withstand the mental pressure of everyday drama). The best better will be always be the informed better.