Yes. The show header shows Live, {n} watching.
What that number is
People with the show open right now. It moves constantly as people arrive and leave, and it is the seller's number too — they see the same count.
What it is not
Not the number of people bidding. In most shows a small fraction of watchers bid. Fifty watching and four bidding is an ordinary evening.
Not the number who saw the show. Somebody who watched for ten minutes an hour ago is not in it. The count is now, not cumulative.
Not a quality score. A show with twelve people where ten of them buy is a better show than one with two hundred browsers.
Why it is worth reading anyway
It tells you what you are bidding against. Four watchers means an item may go cheaply; two hundred means you are in a crowd. That changes what an opening bid is worth.
A rising count mid-item often means the seller said something interesting, or a boost is running and new people are arriving. Expect more competition on the next few items.
A falling count usually means the pace has died. Items in a thinning room go cheaper, which is a buying opportunity and the reason patient bidders stay to the end.
The honest limit
Do not over-read it. A live count bounces around for technical reasons too — people on bad connections dropping and rejoining appear as leaving and arriving.
Treat it as rough: a handful, a room, or a crowd.
For a seller reading this
Viewer counts begin from your next show — Viewer counts start from your next live show. is what you see before any have run. And the number to actually act on is not viewers but how many of your items sold. How to find your store's numbers
What else the room tells you
More useful than the count, if you are trying to judge whether to bid:
- How fast bids arrive when an item opens. Instant bidding means a competitive room.
- Whether the same two names keep winning. Then you are bidding against two people, not fifty.
- Whether the chat is moving. A quiet chat with a high count is browsers; a busy chat is buyers.
More: how a live show works, how to find a show worth watching, how auctions find a price.