5teamparlay
06-28-2005, 03:47 AM
I SAY
#1 NFL
#2 NBA
#3 MLB
#4 GOLF MEN'S
#5 POKER
#6 HOCKEY
June 6, 2005
TV has ace up its sleeve
Forget basketball, baseball -- and definitely hockey. Poker is the most popular game in North America right now.
By ERIC FRANCIS -- Calgary Sun
Can't get a read on why poker is being broadcast by all three Canadian sports networks and shown by everyone from Access to NBC?
It's simple, says the man in charge of programming at TSN:
"I think it's the ultimate in reality TV," said Stewart Johnston, The Sports Network's senior director of programming.
"You don't need a gimmick like other reality shows. Everybody understands money and everybody understands gambling. When somebody pushes all their chips in, that anticipation is pretty easy to get caught up in. The drama comes with it."
So do the ratings, which is the reason Johnston has no less than three different poker tours showcased on his station.
From the European Poker Championships and U.S. Open Poker Championships to poker's crown jewel, the World Series of Poker, TSN has made sure it's not short-stacked when it comes to airing footage of North America's hottest new 'sports' phenomenon.
"It's relatively cheap programming to acquire because there are a large number of poker properties out there," said Johnston, whose network has been showing poker since 1998 but never to this extent. "Live sports are still our priority but poker fills in admirably."
The perception in Canada is the NHL lockout opened the door for poker's explosion, which isn't necessarily true as evidenced by the mass appeal poker is also enjoying south of the border where hockey is irrelevant.
"The absence of hockey has created more holes and part of what we fill those in with is poker," said Johnston, who still hasn't pigeonholed regular time slots for poker broadcasts.
"Is it on more? Yes, and it's enjoying better time slots than normal."
Much has been made about the fact ESPN2's hockey ratings in the U.S. have been dwarfed by ESPN's poker coverage, which is part of the reason why ESPN just cancelled its option on the $60-million deal with the NHL for 2005-06.
Anthony Cicione, vice-president of programming for The Score, believes the NHL lockout has contributed to televised poker's success.
"People are looking for something to watch instead," he said. "Poker probably filled some of that void but they're two separate things."
It's hard to pick up a TV remote control these days without bumping into a poker game somewhere.
It wasn't all that long ago ESPN's coverage of the World Series of Poker elicited laughter from viewers who'd never dreamed a card game would be televised, let alone played by celebrities from time to time.
Now, thanks to a combination of online gaming and increased TV exposure, Johnston reveals poker is drawing Canadian viewing audiences averaging 150,000 nightly.
"The average audience for NHL on TSN is over 300,000 -- poker is half of that," said Johnston. "It's still a fairly good number and, overall, poker is a lot cheaper."
Some would argue a lot more entertaining, too, as the banter between the game's biggest characters is strangely intriguing when combined with the commentary and statistical probabilities of winning hands. In that regard, poker lends itself perfectly to TV, which is why the world's top players are now inundated with autograph requests and endorsement deals.
"That's always the next evolution of sport -- to create some stars," said Johnston.
"They perpetuate new stars and success. Guys like Toronto's Daniel Negreanu (a new Sun columnist) and Chris Moneymaker really brought it to the mainstream."
Industry insiders, including Cicione, still point to Moneymaker's shocking $2.5-million US windfall as a rookie at the World Series of Poker being one of the biggest boons for poker's popularity outside of online gaming.
"There's obviously a huge appetite for poker in general -- people want to see it and I don't think it was a surprise once you saw how well the World Series of Poker (on ESPN) was doing," said Cicione, whose network airs the European Poker Tour Sundays and repeats it twice weekly.
"Whether I run it in prime time or repeat, it does well. The numbers are doing very well for the programming it is, which is why you're seeing more and more of it on TV."
To put things in perspective, NBC's coverage of the National Heads Up poker championship on a recent Sunday afternoon drew a 1.8 rating and five share. It was edged only slightly by final round coverage of the PGA Tour's Colonial, which garnered a 2.2 rating and similar five share.
(The rating is the percentage of TVs tuned in to a program. The share is the percentage of TVs on at the time that are watching).
Cicione thinks the appeal revolves around people's desire to improve their own poker game as well as their ability to relate to the pressures of gambling big money.
"They're watching programming and they're learning. It's almost an education," said Cicione, whose scorepoker.com site has attracted more than 50,000 players who can play for free and win prizes. "Anybody can play and, when you watch, you can put yourself in those situations to play."
Production costs for poker broadcasts are generally covered by tournament organizers, who defray them by selling the shows internationally.
The Canadian Poker Tour will make its TV debut in August on Rogers Sportsnet, opening with eight one-hour episodes this year and 26 next year.
It's now to the point where networks are coming up with their own tourneys and packaging them themselves, such as TSN's Degree Poker Championships. It's a free tourney that will not only give the winner $100,000 and chance to win $1 million on one hand but it also gains the champ entry to the World Series of Poker. The event provides TSN with six hours of programming, which will air over one week in September.
Poker is now among ESPN's top-five rated programs. The American sports network has taken the poker craze a step further with Tilt, a new dramatic series from the writers of Rounders, which many consider the greatest poker movie of all time.
"Poker is exploding -- it's the next fad almost," said Cicione. "They've been saying it's going to fade but it keeps getting stronger."
And as it does, more and more networks will continue to get in on a game that seems to be paying off for everyone involved.
#1 NFL
#2 NBA
#3 MLB
#4 GOLF MEN'S
#5 POKER
#6 HOCKEY
June 6, 2005
TV has ace up its sleeve
Forget basketball, baseball -- and definitely hockey. Poker is the most popular game in North America right now.
By ERIC FRANCIS -- Calgary Sun
Can't get a read on why poker is being broadcast by all three Canadian sports networks and shown by everyone from Access to NBC?
It's simple, says the man in charge of programming at TSN:
"I think it's the ultimate in reality TV," said Stewart Johnston, The Sports Network's senior director of programming.
"You don't need a gimmick like other reality shows. Everybody understands money and everybody understands gambling. When somebody pushes all their chips in, that anticipation is pretty easy to get caught up in. The drama comes with it."
So do the ratings, which is the reason Johnston has no less than three different poker tours showcased on his station.
From the European Poker Championships and U.S. Open Poker Championships to poker's crown jewel, the World Series of Poker, TSN has made sure it's not short-stacked when it comes to airing footage of North America's hottest new 'sports' phenomenon.
"It's relatively cheap programming to acquire because there are a large number of poker properties out there," said Johnston, whose network has been showing poker since 1998 but never to this extent. "Live sports are still our priority but poker fills in admirably."
The perception in Canada is the NHL lockout opened the door for poker's explosion, which isn't necessarily true as evidenced by the mass appeal poker is also enjoying south of the border where hockey is irrelevant.
"The absence of hockey has created more holes and part of what we fill those in with is poker," said Johnston, who still hasn't pigeonholed regular time slots for poker broadcasts.
"Is it on more? Yes, and it's enjoying better time slots than normal."
Much has been made about the fact ESPN2's hockey ratings in the U.S. have been dwarfed by ESPN's poker coverage, which is part of the reason why ESPN just cancelled its option on the $60-million deal with the NHL for 2005-06.
Anthony Cicione, vice-president of programming for The Score, believes the NHL lockout has contributed to televised poker's success.
"People are looking for something to watch instead," he said. "Poker probably filled some of that void but they're two separate things."
It's hard to pick up a TV remote control these days without bumping into a poker game somewhere.
It wasn't all that long ago ESPN's coverage of the World Series of Poker elicited laughter from viewers who'd never dreamed a card game would be televised, let alone played by celebrities from time to time.
Now, thanks to a combination of online gaming and increased TV exposure, Johnston reveals poker is drawing Canadian viewing audiences averaging 150,000 nightly.
"The average audience for NHL on TSN is over 300,000 -- poker is half of that," said Johnston. "It's still a fairly good number and, overall, poker is a lot cheaper."
Some would argue a lot more entertaining, too, as the banter between the game's biggest characters is strangely intriguing when combined with the commentary and statistical probabilities of winning hands. In that regard, poker lends itself perfectly to TV, which is why the world's top players are now inundated with autograph requests and endorsement deals.
"That's always the next evolution of sport -- to create some stars," said Johnston.
"They perpetuate new stars and success. Guys like Toronto's Daniel Negreanu (a new Sun columnist) and Chris Moneymaker really brought it to the mainstream."
Industry insiders, including Cicione, still point to Moneymaker's shocking $2.5-million US windfall as a rookie at the World Series of Poker being one of the biggest boons for poker's popularity outside of online gaming.
"There's obviously a huge appetite for poker in general -- people want to see it and I don't think it was a surprise once you saw how well the World Series of Poker (on ESPN) was doing," said Cicione, whose network airs the European Poker Tour Sundays and repeats it twice weekly.
"Whether I run it in prime time or repeat, it does well. The numbers are doing very well for the programming it is, which is why you're seeing more and more of it on TV."
To put things in perspective, NBC's coverage of the National Heads Up poker championship on a recent Sunday afternoon drew a 1.8 rating and five share. It was edged only slightly by final round coverage of the PGA Tour's Colonial, which garnered a 2.2 rating and similar five share.
(The rating is the percentage of TVs tuned in to a program. The share is the percentage of TVs on at the time that are watching).
Cicione thinks the appeal revolves around people's desire to improve their own poker game as well as their ability to relate to the pressures of gambling big money.
"They're watching programming and they're learning. It's almost an education," said Cicione, whose scorepoker.com site has attracted more than 50,000 players who can play for free and win prizes. "Anybody can play and, when you watch, you can put yourself in those situations to play."
Production costs for poker broadcasts are generally covered by tournament organizers, who defray them by selling the shows internationally.
The Canadian Poker Tour will make its TV debut in August on Rogers Sportsnet, opening with eight one-hour episodes this year and 26 next year.
It's now to the point where networks are coming up with their own tourneys and packaging them themselves, such as TSN's Degree Poker Championships. It's a free tourney that will not only give the winner $100,000 and chance to win $1 million on one hand but it also gains the champ entry to the World Series of Poker. The event provides TSN with six hours of programming, which will air over one week in September.
Poker is now among ESPN's top-five rated programs. The American sports network has taken the poker craze a step further with Tilt, a new dramatic series from the writers of Rounders, which many consider the greatest poker movie of all time.
"Poker is exploding -- it's the next fad almost," said Cicione. "They've been saying it's going to fade but it keeps getting stronger."
And as it does, more and more networks will continue to get in on a game that seems to be paying off for everyone involved.