How to keep a live show on time — what a show clock is, count-up vs back-timed countdowns, timing segments to hard outs, and keeping the whole crew on the same second.
Live shows are governed by the clock. There's a slot to fill, breaks to hit, a top-of-the-hour hand-off you cannot miss. A show clock is how the whole crew knows, at a glance, where they are against the plan — and it's the difference between landing the show cleanly and crashing into a break mid-sentence. This guide covers what a show clock does and how to time a live broadcast. It's part of running a live show.
What a show clock shows
A show clock is a large, shared timer that everyone — presenter, director, gallery — can see. Depending on the moment, it shows:
- Time into the current segment — how long you've been in this block.
- Time remaining in the segment or show — how much runway is left.
- A countdown to a hard out — the seconds to a break, hand-off or the top of the hour.
- Time of day — the actual wall-clock, for scheduled hits.
The point is a single shared reference: when everyone reads the same clock, nobody's timing the show on their own watch.
Count-up vs. count-down (back-timing)
Two ways to think about time, and you usually want both.
- Count-up tells you how long you've been in a segment — useful for pacing an open-ended chat.
- Count-down / back-timing tells you how long until you must be out. You take the hard-out time and work backwards through the running order so each item has a "must start by" time.
Back-timing is the pro move. Overall runtime being right doesn't help if you blow the first break. Back-time to every hard out, not just the end of the show.
Time segments, not just the total
Timing lives in the running order: every item has a duration, summed per segment. During the show the clock tells you whether the current segment is on, over or under — so you can trim or stretch the next item to hit the out. A show can be perfectly on total time and still miss every internal out if you only watch the grand total.
Keeping the crew on time, live
- Make the clock visible to everyone who needs it, including the presenter.
- Watch the segment, not just the show. Adjust as you go.
- Give the presenter wrap cues — a visible countdown in the last 30/10 seconds of a segment beats a frantic hand wave.
- Let the clock follow the show. As you move through the running order, the clock should track the current item automatically.
Timing checklist
- A large, shared show clock everyone can see
- Per-segment durations in the running order
- Hard outs back-timed to "must start by" times
- Countdown cues for the presenter near each out
- The clock following the running order live
How Show Runner handles it
In Show Runner the show clock follows your running order as you drive the show live — tracking the current segment, time remaining and countdowns to your outs, on a shared display the whole crew can see. Because it's tied to the same rundown as the teleprompter and graphics, the clock reflects live changes to the running order automatically.
FAQ
What is back-timing?
Back-timing means working backwards from a fixed out time (a break, hand-off or the top of the hour) through the running order, so each item gets a "must start by" time. It tells you not just how long things last but when they have to happen to land the out.
Should the presenter see the show clock?
Yes — a visible countdown, especially in the last seconds of a segment, lets the presenter wrap cleanly instead of being cut off or guessing. Sharing the same clock the gallery uses keeps everyone on the same second.
How does the show clock stay in sync with the running order?
In Show Runner the clock follows the running order as you drive the show, so it tracks the current segment and reflects live changes to durations or order automatically — the clock, teleprompter and graphics all read the same shared plan.
Build the plan first with a running order, and prompt from it with a teleprompter. Or start for free.