Guides · 5 min read · September 18, 2026
What is a teleprompter, and how does it work?
From 1950s TV studios to the phone in your pocket: how the teleprompter works and why presenters rely on it.
A teleprompter is a device that shows a speaker their script while they look at the camera or audience. The classic studio version reflects a screen of text off angled glass placed directly in front of the lens, so the presenter reads while looking straight into the camera.
How it works
- A screen lies face up below the lens.
- Beam splitter glass at 45 degrees reflects the text toward the presenter.
- The camera sees through the glass and records the presenter, not the text.
- The text is mirrored so the reflection reads correctly.
A short history
Early prompters in the 1950s were paper scrolls turned by hand next to the camera. Glass-and-mirror systems placed the text over the lens, and later video monitors replaced paper. Today the screen is often a phone or tablet, and software can follow the speaker's voice instead of relying on an operator.
Why Italians call it "il gobbo"
In Italian TV slang the teleprompter is "il gobbo", literally "the hunchback". The popular explanation is that early prompters were operated by a crew member crouched beside the camera holding the cue cards.
Types of teleprompters today
- Studio beam splitter prompters on broadcast cameras.
- Tablet and phone rigs for creators.
- Presidential or conference prompters: glass panels either side of a lectern.
- Confidence monitors facing the stage.
- Teleprompter apps: the text on screen next to the camera, no glass needed.
Read your script hands-free on iPhone, iPad and Mac. The teleprompter follows your voice.