http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=8773
Quote from the article:
[ QUOTE ]
The conceptual twist exemplifies how fresh treatments are now required to get a poker series on the air. After two years of booming ratings and more press coverage than any other programming trend this side of reality TV, the televised poker audience is, in many cases, dropping.
Travel Channel's "World Poker Tour" was down 17 percent in total viewers watching first-run episodes during its 2005 season, compared with 2004, according to Nielsen Media Research. ESPN's "World Series of Poker" is down 14 percent season to date. CNBC's "Heads Up Poker" tournament is down 18 percent. And among the three iterations of GSN's own "Poker Royale" series, most are similarly down.
And those are the success stories.
The syndicated effort "Ultimate Poker Challenge" is struggling, having been relegated to early-morning slots in major markets. E! debuted "Hollywood Poker Night" this summer but has not renewed the program. CMT's "Dead Man's Hand," like several announced poker projects, died in development.
The only series that bucked the trend was Bravo's "Celebrity Poker Showdown," which increased 12 percent, though its overall audience is much smaller than the ESPN or Travel Channel shows.
The question for networks and producers now is whether the numbers signal a downward slide or merely the stabilization after an impossible-to-sustain boom.
[/ QUOTE ]
I think, like every other fad, poker got too overexposed. Remember the tv show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" It was a huge hit when it was on 1 night a week. Then as usual the tv execs killed the golden goose by putting it on almost every single night. Went from #1 to off the air in a few months.
My feeling is that people who imagine there will be a never-ending supply of fish thanks to poker on tv are in for a rude awakening. Fads don't last forever - and they usually end quickly once the "it" factor is gone. Actually, I wouldn't be too suprised if the WPT is no longer on the air in 3 years.