Published by Sue Johns-Chapman
Published Date 16.04.2026 
In today’s news environment, publishers face a constant challenge. Audiences expect instant updates, live context, and meaningful interaction, while newsrooms are under immense pressure to maintain accuracy, trust, and engagement. Real-time journalism remains a pillar of modern media, yet delivering live stories while keeping audiences engaged, without sacrificing quality, can feel like an impossible balancing act for editorial teams.
Too often, live coverage still relies on fragmented tools, manual workflows, and formats that aren’t built for the realities of breaking news. That’s where Tickaroo comes in. We believe live journalism deserves better infrastructure. Our mission is to make live reporting more accessible and impactful, ensuring that audiences receive more than headlines, delivering coverage with context, clarity, and a sense of connection.
What Tickaroo does
Originally developed in 2011 as a live blogging tool for sports coverage, Tickaroo has evolved into a comprehensive solution used by more than 450 publishers worldwide, supporting live news, sports, and major industry events.
Today, our platform enables editorial teams to collaborate in real time, publish multimedia-rich updates, and engage audiences directly as stories unfold. By bringing live publishing, audience interaction, and responsible AI-assisted tools into a single platform, Tickaroo helps journalists focus on what matters most: telling accurate, compelling stories under pressure.
Innovation in action
A standout example of our platform in action is The Media Leader’s “Postcards from Cannes” live blog during Cannes Lions. Using Tickaroo, three journalists on the ground collaborated with more than 20 community contributors to produce a fast-moving, multi-perspective narrative that brought the event to life in real time.
The live blog became a central hub for both remote audiences and attendees on site who could engage through reactions, comments, and interactive content throughout the event.
The results included:
- 1,956 page views
- 4+ minutes average retention time
- 284 direct audience interactions
Similarly, JournalismUK used Tickaroo to power live coverage of Newsrewired 2025 and achieved an average retention time of 8 minutes 50 seconds – more than eight times higher than traditional article formats.
Across the Tickaroo platform, publishers generate over one million hours of media time every month, demonstrating the measurable impact of live, interactive storytelling on audience engagement and retention.
Driving engagement, trust, and revenue
Our platform doesn’t just deliver updates, however – it helps publishers create live experiences that audiences return to. Interactive features such as polls, quizzes, multimedia embeds, and real-time audience participation increase retention and repeat visits, while longer dwell time strengthens the commercial value of live coverage.
At its core, Tickaroo is built for newsrooms operating under pressure. The platform combines:
- Real-time live blogs with multimedia, audience reactions, and comments
- Multi-user collaboration for live events and breaking news
- Mobile reporting capabilities for journalists on the move
- SEO-optimised structure to improve discoverability
- Enterprise-grade stability designed for major traffic spikes
- AI Smart Assist for summaries, headlines, and workflow efficiency
As James Longhurst, Content Director at The Media Leader, noted:
“Tickaroo has meant we can open up the quality conversations that happen on stages and bring them alive on our pages.”
What sets Tickaroo apart
Tickaroo brings together live storytelling, audience engagement, and responsible AI into a single purpose-built platform for publishers. While many tools prioritise automation or speed alone, we focus on something more essential – enabling newsrooms to deliver fast coverage without compromising trust.
This approach is reflected in our AI Smart Assist. The functionality is entirely optional and fully
editorially controlled, helping journalists reduce repetitive production tasks while preserving context, transparency, and editorial judgement. It is designed to enhance newsroom efficiency, not replace it.
It is our mission to help publishers build communities around live coverage, creating experiences that feel human, credible, and engaging. Whether it’s breaking news, sports, or live industry events, our platform helps media organisations strengthen loyalty, drive sustainable engagement, and deliver reporting that stands out in an increasingly crowded digital landscape.
UK Digital Excellence Awards: Standout Platform
We’re delighted to be shortlisted in the Standout Platform category at this year’s UK Digital Excellence Awards. Being recognised alongside other leading innovators in digital is a proud moment for our team and a meaningful reflection of the work that goes into building technology that truly supports journalism.
Entering the awards gave us an opportunity to reflect on what we’ve built, not just as a platform, but as infrastructure that helps publishers deliver real-time coverage with confidence. This nomination reinforces our belief that technology can strengthen journalism by helping reporters focus on what they do best – creating accurate, engaging storytelling that audiences can trust.
We’re thrilled to be part of a community that celebrates digital excellence and proud to see Tickaroo recognised for helping newsrooms innovate, engage, and evolve.
