ESPN's Final Table Broadcast Scores a Rating of 1.8

Published on 2009-11-12 17:07:00

So much for the "Phil Ivey effect".

Pokernewsdaily.com (link below) is reporting that the ratings for the 2009 World Series of Poker main event final table were off slightly from last year.

The 2009 final table apparently drew a rating of 1.8 on ESPN, while the 2008 final table drew a rating of 1.9.

The "November Nine" format is clearly not going away though, as both the 2008 and 2009 final table broadcasts were up at least 50% from 2007.

While the overall rating was down compared to last year, WSOP and ESPN executives have to be encouraged by two things:

1. The final table broadcast steadily added viewers as the night went on, peaking during the last half hour of the broadcast.

2. Total number of households and total number of viewers were both up over last year for the entire season of WSOP coverage on ESPN.

It is surprising to me that, despite all of the hype leading up to the final table, the inclusion of Phil Ivey didn't have more of a positive impact on the final table ratings. I guess that having a well-known name at the final table doesn't necessarily translate into ratings gold.

Based on this year's ratings, you can safely assume that the "November Nine" format will continue indefinitely. It is also probably a safe assumption that ESPN will continue airing more final table coverage in place of preliminary events.

Source: Pokernewsdaily.com - 2009 WSOP Main Event Finale on ESPN Attracts 2.1 Million Viewers

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Filed Under: World Series of Poker

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