TV phone ins like BB and X factor

[Dom Tuk]

How much of the TV phone in is staged. In some programs like the X factor and BB the viewer is given the opportunity to phone in their votes upto 5 mins before the winner is announced. Do they really wait up to the end to count the votes. How does the phone company manage to get the votes counted so quickly. Or is the envelope with the winners name ready a few hours before the announcement and all those last minute votes just a money making scam.

[twiglet4frog]

Whoever owns the phone lines that Xfactor or BB use counts them with a computer, every time u send a txt with a keyword or ring a number for that contestant it adds one to their running counter. Once the phone line closes the producers are on the phone to the phoneline company and ask them to check the totals. All it takes is one person to relay how many hits for each number/txt/email etc and work out who has the most or least!

Problem comes when the Phone company isnt prepared for the demand on the service as it can only handle so many calls at once. Most basic premium rate networks can only handle 50 calls at once whereas BT can set up a service that can handle 1 million or more at once although highly expensive to run and operate.

[dothawkes]

I hope so!