Tally

What is it?

Tally is the "you are on air" indicator — classically the red light on top of a TV studio camera that tells the presenter this camera is live right now. The convention extends to people: in multi-guest productions, tally is whatever signals a participant that they're currently visible to the audience.

Practical example

In a TV studio with three cameras, the anchor watches for the red light: when camera 2's tally glows, they speak to camera 2; when it jumps to camera 1, they turn naturally. The remote-guest version: a panelist in a four-person stream sees a red border light up around their own tile the moment the host spotlights them — so they sit up and speak knowing they're on, and relax (or sip water safely) when they're not.

Key things to know (non-technical)

• Tally solves an information problem only performers have: the audience always knows what's on screen; the people on screen don't — unless told.
• Without it, guests get caught yawning, scratching, or looking off-camera at the worst moment.
• Two classic states: red = on program (live), green/amber = on preview (you're next) — the "preview tally" lets people prepare.
• It's a tiny UI element with outsized effect on how professional guests appear.

In Tupic Live

A guest-side tally — a clear "🔴 You're live" indicator (and ideally a "you're up next" state) inside Tupic Live's guest view — costs little to build and single-handedly upgrades how composed every guest looks on creators' shows.