WSOP Television Ratings Up From Last Year

ESPN has released the information on the ratings for this year’s World Series of Poker which took place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The final table aired on the same day it was played and according to ESPN the television ratings for the tournament were up fifty percent from last year’s ratings.

The reason for the large increase in viewers is believed to be partly due to the fact that the Main Event was aired shortly after play had concluded. It was not aired months later like the show had been done in previous years.

1.9 million Households watched the final table play while last year only 1.25 million tuned in. This year’s Main Event attracted more viewers than a NBA game or regular season MLB game. The change this year was that there was a break in play between the early stages of the event and final table which has not been done in the past.

Organizers of the WSOP have not stated if next year’s series will have the same break before final table play. But if the ratings have anything to do with it, as I’m sure they do the set up will most likely be the same.

Seth Palansky, a spokesman for the World Series of Poker, stated: “What you did was creating a must see television event which wasn’t the case the past few years when you knew who the winner was. It was the whole ‘Who will win?’ element.”