We as consumers and customers have bought into a product. That product consists of the games on the tables, but also the forum, the promotions, the interaction, the freerolls, the shot at going to Vegas, cash for points, the banter and the TV channel. Basically, we've been sold and bought into a broad package.
Now a part of this package (a part that many of us got quite attached to) has been removed. How to fill the gap? There must be better linkages with skybet and skysports in my opinion. A couple of ideas off the top of my head (treat them accordingly!):
1. If you buy-in to the main 8pm event, why can't you be given free access to skysports to watch the match? E.g. England are playing in a Euro qualifier on Friday with a 7.45 kick-off. Would it be possible for those in the main event to watch the game on their computer without a skysports subscription? Why couldn't this be a regular part of the offering?
2. Freerolls for free bets. Instead of a, say, 5K freeroll, make it 10K in free bets on skybet. It's unlikely to cost SBG any more.
We as consumers and customers have bought into a product. That product consists of the games on the tables, but also the forum, the promotions, the interaction, the freerolls, the shot at going to Vegas, cash for points, the banter and the TV channel. Basically, we've been sold and bought into a broad package. Now a part of this package (a part that many of us got quite attached to) has been removed. How to fill the gap? There must be better linkages with skybet and skysports in my opinion. A couple of ideas off the top of my head (treat them accordingly!): 1. If you buy-in to the main 8pm event, why can't you be given free access to skysports to watch the match? E.g. England are playing in a Euro qualifier on Friday with a 7.45 kick-off. Would it be possible for those in the main event to watch the game on their computer without a skysports subscription? Why couldn't this be a regular part of the offering? 2. Freerolls for free bets. Instead of a, say, 5K freeroll, make it 10K in free bets on skybet. It's unlikely to cost SBG any more. 3. Super6 syndicates made up of teams on here. Posted by BigBluster
i personally couldnt disagree more with this post, the part that i have highlighted are in my opinion the only things we are paying for everything else was and still is an extra bonus.
I'm sorry that you took offence Nuggy but I don't really understand why I would have to know you or have met you at all to come to the conclusion that your post was more than merely a casual observation that the numbers were slightly down in one tournament and that this was directly caused by the TV channel no longer existing. You used the word "scraped" to grudgingly accept the guarantee was met, you said "(not so) super roller" to describe a tournament that got a pretty large number of people to pay £100 to enter and you call the mini very mini. You also used and ! in describing how they'll "probably" reduce the guarantees by enormous amounts.
Like I say, I don't want to have a row, but I think that it would be reasonable to come to the conclusion that you were trying to use this pretty small sample to prove your point, which appeared to be that the end of the TV channel had caused the lower numbers.
I totally understand that the 861 channel was a very much loved part of the Sky Poker experience. I enjoyed it very much myself and can clearly remember the various phases of it's development and the different presenters that came and went. I was a viewer long before I ever appeared on the show. I very much wish everyone who was involved in the shows well. Some are still going to be involved with making poker content and some will go on to other things.
I think we do have to accept though that there are legal and commercial reasons why it wasn't possible for the channel to survive and we have to move on.
In response to Geldy, I'm sure everyone at Sky Poker is very much aware how well loved the TV channel was. Sky Poker is very lucky though. Despite only being 20% owned by BskyB they have been granted the opportunity to fill a nice two hour slot on Sky Sport 4 every Tuesday and there seems to be a good appetite for poker from the owners of Challenge TV as well as their viewers. I'm not 100% sure of the exact viewing figures but my understanding is that we are talking at least ten times as many people watching these shows as were watching 861, so hopefully that should attract lots of new players to the site. Maybe the freedom to make some different kinds of poker programmes and to not have to go down the telly-shopping road will attract different kinds of viewers. Again it's hard to predict how these things will work out, but I do think the assumption that they can only ever be a disaster for the poker site is overly negative.
I do also think it's being a little negative and pessimistic to immediately draw the conclusion that the new owners want to "bin poker". I would say they have made a pretty big investment and one of the reasons for that is because the poker part of Sky Betting and Gaming is doing very well.
I'm not sure if you really believe that there is a chance that everyone stops playing poker and the whole business collapses simply because of 861 no longer existing and that the "powers that be" will then change their mind and bring the channel back. I would say that sentence involves a bunch of things that are all less than 1% to happen, happening at once.
Again, for the avoidance of doubt, I'll repeat...Everyone very much loved C861 but there are many complex reasons both commercial and legal why it can no longer exist.
What I am 100% certain of is that there are some very smart people guiding the business along and that is why CVC decided to spend such a large amount to purchase a chunk of a very successful company. It may be that commercially sensitive information cannot always be given out and it may be that some plans are currently being developed and discussed but to assume there are no plans at all is a mistake.
I would say it's an exciting time for Sky Poker and you can count the number of sites who are thinking that right now on two or less fingers.
In Response to Re: Sky poker tv vs MTT numbers : i personally couldnt disagree more with this post, the part that i have highlighted are in my opinion the only things we are paying for everything else was and still is an extra bonus. Posted by RLT16
i know a load of players who would never have joined except for the fact they would get trolled on the forum :-) #masochistsanonymous
neil - thanks for the well balanced post - i am really hoping it all works out but there is no public information to suggest cvc have any interest in skypoker. They may have but all we see from the outside is what they do. And so far everything has been cuts, nothing yet has been positive. and yes there may be commercial imperatives that mean the cuts come before the investment but until we see it we can hardly be excited about it. But my main point is that is unfair to target community members for being fearful about the future just because they don't have all the facts yet. We want peeps to highlight their concerns because if that helps to get positive counters from the business so much the better.
both sides of this coin coming across as a little over sensitive reading this through.
emotions possibly running high on both sides, and far too early to make judgements that's for sure - but again, that needs to be on both sides.
you have got a difficult balancing act at the moment tk/channing, just try not to come across too patronising for the sake of being positive. sometimes people have to be allowed to grieve and sound off.
Comments
i personally couldnt disagree more with this post, the part that i have highlighted are in my opinion the only things we are paying for everything else was and still is an extra bonus.
I'm sorry that you took offence Nuggy but I don't really understand why I would have to know you or have met you at all to come to the conclusion that your post was more than merely a casual observation that the numbers were slightly down in one tournament and that this was directly caused by the TV channel no longer existing. You used the word "scraped" to grudgingly accept the guarantee was met, you said "(not so) super roller" to describe a tournament that got a pretty large number of people to pay £100 to enter and you call the mini very mini. You also used and ! in describing how they'll "probably" reduce the guarantees by enormous amounts.
Like I say, I don't want to have a row, but I think that it would be reasonable to come to the conclusion that you were trying to use this pretty small sample to prove your point, which appeared to be that the end of the TV channel had caused the lower numbers.
I totally understand that the 861 channel was a very much loved part of the Sky Poker experience. I enjoyed it very much myself and can clearly remember the various phases of it's development and the different presenters that came and went. I was a viewer long before I ever appeared on the show. I very much wish everyone who was involved in the shows well. Some are still going to be involved with making poker content and some will go on to other things.
I think we do have to accept though that there are legal and commercial reasons why it wasn't possible for the channel to survive and we have to move on.
In response to Geldy, I'm sure everyone at Sky Poker is very much aware how well loved the TV channel was. Sky Poker is very lucky though. Despite only being 20% owned by BskyB they have been granted the opportunity to fill a nice two hour slot on Sky Sport 4 every Tuesday and there seems to be a good appetite for poker from the owners of Challenge TV as well as their viewers. I'm not 100% sure of the exact viewing figures but my understanding is that we are talking at least ten times as many people watching these shows as were watching 861, so hopefully that should attract lots of new players to the site. Maybe the freedom to make some different kinds of poker programmes and to not have to go down the telly-shopping road will attract different kinds of viewers. Again it's hard to predict how these things will work out, but I do think the assumption that they can only ever be a disaster for the poker site is overly negative.
I do also think it's being a little negative and pessimistic to immediately draw the conclusion that the new owners want to "bin poker". I would say they have made a pretty big investment and one of the reasons for that is because the poker part of Sky Betting and Gaming is doing very well.
I'm not sure if you really believe that there is a chance that everyone stops playing poker and the whole business collapses simply because of 861 no longer existing and that the "powers that be" will then change their mind and bring the channel back. I would say that sentence involves a bunch of things that are all less than 1% to happen, happening at once.
Again, for the avoidance of doubt, I'll repeat...Everyone very much loved C861 but there are many complex reasons both commercial and legal why it can no longer exist.
What I am 100% certain of is that there are some very smart people guiding the business along and that is why CVC decided to spend such a large amount to purchase a chunk of a very successful company. It may be that commercially sensitive information cannot always be given out and it may be that some plans are currently being developed and discussed but to assume there are no plans at all is a mistake.
I would say it's an exciting time for Sky Poker and you can count the number of sites who are thinking that right now on two or less fingers.
And nice post Mr Channing.
emotions possibly running high on both sides, and far too early to make judgements that's for sure - but again, that needs to be on both sides.
you have got a difficult balancing act at the moment tk/channing, just try not to come across too patronising for the sake of being positive. sometimes people have to be allowed to grieve and sound off.