No one knows what's behind the decline in the ratings juggernaut that is the WSOP. (Photo by Therese Branton)
Ratings for ESPN's coverage of the World Series of Poker Main Event are down about 16%, according to numbers provided by the network. The overall ratings for the first six weeks of WSOP coverage have averaged a .67 rating. For perspective and an idea of scale, a single Neilsen point means that approximately 1.1 million viewers watched a show in, meaning that the coverage has pulled an average of 737,000 viewers each week. The 2009 Main Event coverage pulled in a .79 rating, or approximately 869,000 in comparison.
Interestingly, the Poker Player's Championship, which featured Robert and Michael Mizrachi in combat improved against the previous year's ratings and gave high hopes to all involved, but the Tournament of Champions that aired the next week only held steady against the previous year's numbers. The broadcasts of the Main Event began on August 10th and featured the second largest field in history and the biggest names in the game competing, and the drop accompanied it.
Even with moments like Allied Network Solutions CEO Ted Bort and Brahlhad Friedman's confrontation (in which Bort barked like a dog at the pro while he was trying to make up his mind) included in the broadcast, numbers have dropped quite a bit with the exception of the over-55 demographic.
What's behind the decline? Has poker fatigue settled into the mainstream? Was the coverage just skipped by many because of the number of online sites that reported the happenings already? What do you think?
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