WPT on GSN now

[TStoneMBD]

they tried to who wants to be a millionaireanize the show and its certainly getting old. people like watching wsop/hsp because its laid back, lot of chatter and good tv personalities. the lighting is also better. the wpt wants people to talk at their final table but they make it difficult with how intense they make the setting out to be. people also like watching real poker, not bs coin flips.

[dereeekho]

calling olivert...

[PokrLikeItsProse]

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i beleive it is 300K per episode. 23 episodes. im guessing this includes all the ladies night etc.

would be nice if they totally redid the show. new broadcasters better final table format, etc.

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what don't u like about sexton??

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He just wants to replace Vince Van Patton with Mark Seif.

[olivert]

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they tried to who wants to be a millionaireanize the show and its certainly getting old. people like watching wsop/hsp because its laid back, lot of chatter and good tv personalities. the lighting is also better. the wpt wants people to talk at their final table but they make it difficult with how intense they make the setting out to be. people also like watching real poker, not bs coin flips.

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HSP needs 350,000 viewers on GSN to be successful so HSP can focus on poker and not on personal stories.

WSOP needs 1 million viewers on ESPN to be successful so WSOP has to tell stories. There aren't 1 million diehard TV poker viewers out there, as the GSN numbers have shown.

(One person associated with the ESPN production of the WSOP told me that if the ESPN shows only focused on poker, the ratings for WSOP on ESPN would tank to the level of HSP and ESPN would cancel the WSOP. Casual viewers want to see the all-ins and the personal stories rather than the tedious set-up plays.)

WPT used to need on the order of 1 million viewers to be successful when it was getting a big rights fee from Travel Channel because WPT had to justify its rights fee.

Now that WPT will move to GSN at a 40% discount in rights fee compared to the Travel Channel, WPT will not have to deal with the same kind of ratings pressure it once did with Travel Channel.

[NickMPK]

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HSP needs 350,000 viewers on GSN to be successful so HSP can focus on poker and not on personal stories.

WSOP needs 1 million viewers on ESPN to be successful so WSOP has to tell stories. There aren't 1 million diehard TV poker viewers out there, as the GSN numbers have shown.


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I don't see why the GSN numbers show this. There may very well be 1 million people out there who want to watch High Staked Poker, but it's very possible that two-thirds of them don't get GSN.

[olivert]

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HSP needs 350,000 viewers on GSN to be successful so HSP can focus on poker and not on personal stories.

WSOP needs 1 million viewers on ESPN to be successful so WSOP has to tell stories. There aren't 1 million diehard TV poker viewers out there, as the GSN numbers have shown.


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I don't see why the GSN numbers show this. There may very well be 1 million people out there who want to watch High Staked Poker, but it's very possible that two-thirds of them don't get GSN.

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The "two-thirds of diehard poker viewers don't get GSN" excuse is a lame excuse if there was ever one.

GSN is in over 60 million households, or over 55% of the TV audience in the U.S.

Also, someone who wants GSN badly enough will find a way to get GSN, even if that means having to move to another location where he/she can get DirecTV or DISH Network satellite TV (which require an unobstructed view of the southern sky), which offer GSN.

The Aussie Millions cash game shows on FSN only get on the order of 250,000-300,000 viewers.

UPC Cash Poker on SuperStation WGN and the local stations combined get on the order of 700,000-800,000 viewers per episode.

Contrary to the 2+2 view of the world, cash game poker on TV is ultra-niche and is viewed primarily by die-hard TV poker viewers, not casual viewers.

Casual viewers want to watch ALL-INS and BIG BLUFFS during BIG EVENTS.

There are only two top tier "big event" TV poker shows left in the U.S.: WSOP Main Event, and NBC Heads-Up. Both can draw north of 1.5 million viewers per episode.

WPT, with its switch to GSN, is now part of the second tier of shows, along with NBC's Poker After Dark.

High Stakes Poker is either at the bottom of the second tier or is part of the 3rd tier of shows, which appeal to the hardcore poker enthusiasts ONLY.

[idrinkcoors]

Is the WPT licensing (use of image) language the same I wonder? In other words, will Fossilman and the others continue to boycott the WPT?

[Joe O]

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Also, someone who wants GSN badly enough will find a way to get GSN, even if that means having to move to another location where he/she can get DirecTV or DISH Network satellite TV (which require an unobstructed view of the southern sky), which offer GSN.


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Oliver,
Having access to ratings information does not make you an expert on the television industry. Absolutely no one would move to a different house to get High Stakes Poker. No one would do that for Grey's Anatomy or CSI, either. That doesn't mean people wouldn't watch the show if they got the channel.

That is seriously one of the stupidest things I've ever heard someone say on this forum.

[olivert]

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Is the WPT licensing (use of image) language the same I wonder? In other words, will Fossilman and the others continue to boycott the WPT?

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WPTE changed the player release slightly for Season 5 (WPT can still use the VIDEO in derivative products, but will not use a player's image in a way to imply endorsement unless an endorsement contract is executed between the player and WPTE), but the change was apparently not enough to satisfy 6 members of the "lawsuit 7".

Hachem returned to play selected WPT events as of last December.

The lawsuit won't be tried in court for another year.

[snagglepuss]

olivert,

a large majority of the "casual viewers" of poker i know, that have watched an episode or two of high stakes poker, prefer it.

my mom who will randomly watch some tv poker, has said "it gets kind of boring and redundant. its always the same thing people just go all in and the cards decide it" (re: wpt). after watching an episode of HSP, she said "pretty interesting that they are playing for so much actual money" and much preferred the show. as did my brother, who thinks that poker is stupid generally.

i occasionally play in a small home cash game with middle aged and older men who are the definition of a 'recreational player' that enjoys playing a couple times a month. while they all still enjoy talking about wsop and wpt, they all love high stakes poker.

a lot of what you say is true, but i believe to a much lesser degree than what you spout off. then again you have proven your ignorance, incompetence, and lack of business savvy countless times on these forums, so i am not surprised.

it is likely that televised poker of all forms has not come close to reaching its full marketable potential because those making decisions at every level of production, broadcasting, and marketing, are as mentally inept as yourself.