HONG KONG — ViuTV has significantly broadened viewer involvement in its highly popular reality competition, King Maker VI, introducing a novel “Public Judiciary” segment that enables audience members to instantly influence the contestants’ standing. Following the broadcast of elimination round performances, which currently focus on the competitive top 60 groups, viewers are invited to cast judgment via the network’s official social media channels, effectively transforming the passive audience into an active judging panel. This strategic move aims to intensify engagement and democratize the evaluation process of the burgeoning talent.
The new voting mechanism was officially launched on social media on Tuesday, allowing the public to vote on performances immediately after they air. Utilizing the straightforward, universally recognized concept of “lights,” viewers can signal their approval or disapproval. A blue light signifies support and positive reception for a performance, while a red light indicates dissatisfaction or disagreement with the execution.
A representative from ViuTV stated the motivation behind the initiative, noting the common frustration among viewers who feel their opinions are unheard. The statement encouraged participation: “We are announcing now: every single one of you can become a judge! After each group’s performance airs nightly, you can vote on the ViuTV Instagram Story.”
The mechanism utilizes the Instagram Story feature, a popular platform among the show’s target demographic. To ensure accessibility and allow for review, ViuTV is collating the results. The collective vote essence will be preserved in a dedicated “Public Judiciary” Story Highlight on the network’s Instagram page, enabling viewers to revisit the cumulative audience feedback long after the 24-hour story window closes.
This initiative comes as the show enters its highly scrutinized group elimination stage. By granting immediate voting power, ViuTV is tapping into the desire for interactive media consumption, a growing trend across reality television programming globally. The network explicitly mentioned that they anticipate the emergence of a “Public Choice” selection, driven purely by the collective audience assessments.
Industry analysts suggest that integrating real-time audience feedback into elimination rounds, even if non-binding for the final results, creates deeper emotional investment for viewers. This style of participatory entertainment often leads to increased social media buzz and prolonged interest throughout the lengthy duration of these competitive programs. For King Maker VI, an already successful franchise, this participatory element is designed to inject fresh energy into the mid-season.
The results of the “Public Choice,” while separate from the official judges’ scores, will provide valuable qualitative feedback to the competing artists and offer a compelling narrative layer to the show’s weekly episodes. Audiences are encouraged to follow the official ViuTV Instagram account for daily voting opportunities and to monitor the accumulating feedback in the dedicated highlight section. This model of audience empowerment serves as a blueprint for future interactive reality television program development in the region.