PBR Broadcast Optimization Case Study

Touchstone Research and PBR co-branded case study banner. Headline: Dial Testing in Action, Measuring Audience Engagement Second by Second. A PBR bull rider competes during an event, with a stylized real-time engagement curve overlaid.

Touchstone Research partnered with Professional Bull Riders (PBR) to optimize their Teams broadcasts ahead of the upcoming event season. Using a hybrid qualitative and dial testing program built on Dial Tester, our proprietary moment-to-moment content evaluation platform, we measured second-by-second viewer engagement across eight focus groups in four U.S. regions, segmented by PBR Viewers and Non-Viewers. The work delivered a strategic broadcast optimization framework covering announcer talent, camera coverage, graphics, and pacing.

AT A GLANCE

CLIENT	Professional Bull Riders (PBR)
INDUSTRY	Media and Entertainment \| Live Sports Broadcasting
USE CASE	Live sports broadcast optimization ahead of the upcoming PBR event season
AUDIENCE	PBR Viewers and Non-Viewers across four U.S. regions
METHODOLOGY	Hybrid qualitative focus groups with integrated real-time dial testing
TECHNOLOGY	Dial Tester, Touchstone Research’s proprietary moment-to-moment content evaluation platform
OUTPUT	Strategic broadcast optimization roadmap covering talent, camera coverage, graphics, storytelling, and pacing

The Challenge

With a full slate of upcoming events on the horizon, PBR needed precise, actionable answers to what holds current viewers, what loses them, and what would convert curious newcomers into committed fans.

The brief was direct: deliver an actionable, evidence-based roadmap covering announcer talent, camera coverage, graphics, and pacing, in time to inform decisions for the next event season’s broadcasts.

The Approach

We designed an eight-group hybrid qualitative and dial testing program for PBR, segmenting PBR Viewers and Non-Viewers across four U.S. regions: the West, Midwest, South, and Northeast.

Audience design for the PBR broadcast study: eight focus groups across four U.S. regions, West, Midwest, South, and Northeast, with one PBR Viewer group and one Non-Viewer group per region.

Three-layer research methodology: step one, pre-session orientation with a curated PBR broadcast video for Non-Viewers; step two, real-time dial testing of the broadcast using Dial Tester; step three, senior-moderated focus group discussion.

Operational rigor

All eight focus groups fielded in a single week for tight comparability.
Consistent screening criteria applied across regions to ensure clean cross-market reads.
Recruitment managed end-to-end by Touchstone’s in-house team, with multi-stage screening to verify viewing behavior, articulation, and authenticity.

The Technology: Dial Tester

Dial Tester is Touchstone Research’s proprietary moment-to-moment content evaluation platform. Participants used a continuous slider, scaled from 0 to 100, to rate engagement, likeability, or authenticity in real time as they watched the video. For the PBR broadcast study, Dial Tester captured continuous reactions from every participant and synchronized them to the precise seconds of broadcast content on screen.

The resulting overlays let our team isolate the exact moments where the broadcast worked, the segments where attention slipped, and the announcer styles that resonated most strongly with each viewer type. Combining dial signal with qualitative diagnostics produced something neither method delivers on its own: a precise map of what happened on screen tied to a clear explanation of why it landed or did not.

Infographic explaining how Dial Tester works. Participants rate engagement on a 0 to 100 scale in real time while watching broadcast content, producing a moment-by-moment engagement curve. Illustrates common broadcast moment types: Opening, Commentary, Replay, Interview, and Transition.

What the Client Got

We delivered to PBR a strategic broadcast optimization framework that identified, at a high level:

The specific broadcast elements driving engagement and how to extend their footprint.
The friction points that dampen newcomer interest and the editorial adjustments most likely to remove them.
Talent strengths by style, with guidance on where each voice best fits the broadcast.
Graphics and storytelling opportunities to deepen viewer investment in riders, bulls, and team rivalries.
Distinct activation paths for retaining current Viewers and converting Non-Viewers, recognizing that the two audiences need different doors into the sport.

The findings were delivered in time to inform creative, editorial, and production decisions heading into the upcoming PBR event season.

Client Voice

“Partnering with Touchstone Research provided valuable insights that are shaping our broadcast strategy moving forward. Their research helped us better understand what drives viewer engagement, optimize our on-air talent and storytelling, and identify opportunities to both strengthen our connection with existing fans and attract new audiences. The insights have already begun informing our creative and production decisions for the upcoming season.”

Lynn Wittenburg, Chief Marketing Officer Shaunna Schmidt, SVP of PBR Media

Frequently Asked Questions

What is dial testing?

Dial testing is a content evaluation method where participants use a continuous slider, typically scaled from 0 to 100, to rate engagement, likeability, or authenticity in real time as they watch video or listen to audio content. The continuous input is captured second by second and synchronized to the content, producing a moment-by-moment reaction curve that pinpoints exactly where audiences engage and where they disengage.

How is dial testing different from a focus group?

A focus group captures opinions after the fact, filtered through memory and group dynamics. Dial testing captures reactions in the moment, before participants rationalize what they felt. The two methods are most powerful when combined: dial testing identifies the precise moments that worked or did not, and focus group discussion explains why. Touchstone Research ran exactly this hybrid design for the PBR broadcast study.

When does dial testing work best?

Dial testing is most valuable for evaluating linear video and audio content, including broadcasts, advertising, trailers, podcasts, episode pilots, public service announcements, and product launch videos. It is particularly effective when you need to identify specific moments of high engagement or drop-off, compare reactions across audience segments, or test multiple cuts or versions of the same content side by side.

How does Touchstone Research protect confidential or unreleased content during dial testing?

For pre-release media, prototypes, or other confidential content, Touchstone Research’s Secure Content Testing infrastructure provides participant-level watermarking, screen capture protection, and controlled distribution. Secure Content Testing is integrated with Dial Tester for media and entertainment partners working with unreleased material.

Why Touchstone Research

Touchstone Research is a strategic research partner to media and entertainment companies working at the intersection of content, talent, and audience. Founded in 1991, we combine qualitative, quantitative, and UX research expertise with proprietary content testing technology and in-house recruitment to give our partners decision-grade insight at the speed their businesses move.

From concept to post-premiere, we architect research programs that turn audience signal into the kind of clear, structured guidance that creative, editorial, and production teams can act on.

Optimizing the PBR Broadcast for the Next Season of Fans