Guests and analysts doing a good job but in hindsight absolute madness to reduce, so dramatically, the live tournament analysis, Im a big fan of Skypoker channel 865 but am fighting to keep the enthusiasm to tune in religiously since the new format of 5 one hour shows, I still am but find I turn off earlier each time.
It was much easier for the first lot of analysts to make an entertaining show because we had the live tournament hands and a remit to being entertainment with poker tuition/education, seems the remit now is poker education full stop. You'd need to be a genius to make that entertaining for 5 solid hours.
Please skypoker increase the live tourny coverage !
i was in my local petrol station earlier and, like a number of new feature films, i saw that four of last night's channel 865 "live" programmes have already gone straight to DVD.
I can understand the animosity towards the new format. I like most other posters am gutted at the lack of Tournament coverage on the night, but, will give the new format a chance for a while yet. I like the look of the new shows and as others have said I am enjoying the guests and analysts. As a tournament player the new heavy focus on Cash play is a major turn off for me, but I do understand that most players on Sky are Cash players so the change in focus is justified. I think the educational element of the show is great as long as its not all about that. My main point of concern is that most of the guests don't understand Sky Poker, in the sense that they don't know about the nuances of the site. I think if they were given a little info before their appearance about the Jackpot and the structure of Bounty Hunters etc it would save a lot of constant explaining. I know that when you explain it to them live it is also explaining it to new viewers too, but 3 hours into a 5 hour show is a bit annoying to have them explaining the basics of the tournament. For example a lot of calls or all in shoves in Bounty Hunters are Bounty dependant. So if you are calling off 1/5th of your stack but the bounty is massive then it may not be as bad a move as some of your guests make out. I look forward to seeing how the shows develop and grow. Best wishes. Shaun the Villa fan in Bham
p.s Please pass on my best to SkyClaire. get well soon.
update --- recovered with the richard and tikay show last week. i think it must be their talent that keeps the show afloat despite the format. james and anna are fine presenters too. however the format is not quite so buoyant nowadays.
update --- recovered with the richard and tikay show last week. i think it must be their talent that keeps the show afloat despite the format. james and anna are fine presenters too. however the format is not quite so buoyant nowadays. Posted by aussie09
Aussie I think that is unfair.
The show on Tuesday was one of our best ones to date. We had plenty of hand requests, a great Chat Box full of poker news stories, live calls with James Hartigan, a brilliant guest and the only 'criticism' we got was that the 5 hours went to quickly.
ALL the talent on the books are outstanding and bring their own personalities to the channel.
I think it is ignorant to think that after only 4 weeks on air we are going to get everything perfect. The TV channel team are adding new elements to each show, each day. BUT we can only do so much at once.
Regarding last night's show - I think that Thursdays need more than an hour of tournament coverage, to be honest. You've got the £15k BH, the £5k Sky Roller, the £1200 Mini BH, all with TV icons next to them, yet you could only show hands from the £15k BH last night, so why even bother putting TV icons for the rest of them in the first place? :S
In Response to Re: 5 Hours of Live TV on 865 - Emporer's New Clothes : Aussie I think that is unfair. The show on Tuesday was one of our best ones to date. We had plenty of hand requests, a great Chat Box full of poker news stories, live calls with James Hartigan, a brilliant guest and the only 'criticism' we got was that the 5 hours went to quickly. ALL the talent on the books are outstanding and bring their own personalities to the channel. I think it is ignorant to think that after only 4 weeks on air we are going to get everything perfect. The TV channel team are adding new elements to each show, each day. BUT we can only do so much at once. Posted by Sky_Claire
I agree. We would all have our own ideas of what WE would do if we were running the show, but it is a much harder job for the 'Show' team to do so, as they have so many factions to please. I think the shows are getting progressively better, as the team find their feet in the new studio and with the new format. I truly believe the shows will continue to improve and grow and inevitably change, but, I think the new stuff is looking more positive already and its only been a few shows. The main lesson learnt (in my opinion) is that with the new larger studio you definitely need 3 people on the sofa like last night. When it is just a presenter and guest it can become a bit slow paced as there is usually agreement and less varied views. All in all I'd say the TV channel team have done a great job so far and should be proud of the fashion in which they promote their brand. Best wishes. Shaun the Villa fan in Bham
I was playing in the 'Sky Sports' Bounty Hunter last night, I thought the name in the title meant there was coverage on one of the sky sports channels?
Maybe it was me, but I flicked through the usual sky sports channels a few times and checked the scheduling, but couldn't find any reference to the Sky Sports Bounty Hunter or in deed any reference to Sky Poker.
Likewise on 865, there didn't seem to be any coverage of the main event until after 10.00pm?
Maybe I caught 865 at the wrong moments, but there didn't appear to be much link up with the live sky sports bounty hunter until later in the evening, which for me gave it a bit of an 'after the lord mayor's show' feeling, even though I enjoyed playing in the tournament and managed to cash in 35th place.
In Response to Re: 5 Hours of Live TV on 865 - Emporer's New Clothes : Aussie I think that is unfair. The show on Tuesday was one of our best ones to date. We had plenty of hand requests, a great Chat Box full of poker news stories, live calls with James Hartigan, a brilliant guest and the only 'criticism' we got was that the 5 hours went to quickly. ALL the talent on the books are outstanding and bring their own personalities to the channel. I think it is ignorant to think that after only 4 weeks on air we are going to get everything perfect. The TV channel team are adding new elements to each show, each day. BUT we can only do so much at once. Posted by Sky_Claire
claire,
i am only expressing my opinion. you are too. i know that you can ignore and dismiss mine, after all, it is your opinion that determines what happens. the view i have expressed is about the format and, you will see if you re-read my post, not about the presenters. however you are keen to respond to a different issue.
it is a shame to hear you say the only criticism you've heard is praise. perhaps you should hear a greater range of comments.
to infer that i might be "ignorant" is stepping over the line. you might consider that unfair.
I was playing in the 'Sky Sports' Bounty Hunter last night, I thought the name in the title meant there was coverage on one of the sky sports channels? Maybe it was me, but I flicked through the usual sky sports channels a few times and checked the scheduling, but couldn't find any reference to the Sky Sports Bounty Hunter or in deed any reference to Sky Poker. Likewise on 865, there didn't seem to be any coverage of the main event until after 10.00pm? Maybe I caught 865 at the wrong moments, but there didn't appear to be much link up with the live sky sports bounty hunter until later in the evening, which for me gave it a bit of an 'after the lord mayor's show' feeling, even though I enjoyed playing in the tournament and managed to cash in 35th place. Posted by TheDart
Hi
Unfortunately we cannot choose when we go on Sky Sports, they just tell us. Would love a regular booking on there, and this is something I am pushing for.
I agree we need to cover more action from the tournaments on a Thursday and will try and get this in from next week.
Please do help though and if you are involved in any of the tournaments that night send in your hand ID's and we will do our very best to get them to air
In Response to Re: 5 Hours of Live TV on 865 - Emporer's New Clothes : claire, i am only expressing my opinion. you are too. i know that you can ignore and dismiss mine, after all, it is your opinion that determines what happens. the view i have expressed is about the format and, you will see if you re-read my post, not about the presenters. however you are keen to respond to a different issue. it is a shame to hear you say the only criticism you've heard is praise. perhaps you should hear a greater range of comments. to infer that i might be "ignorant" is stepping over the line. you might consider that unfair. Posted by aussie09
I think a lot of people have expressed views on here. I'm not going to comment on the new format for a few reasons. The main one being, I am not Sky's target audience on 865, as I am already a loyal Sky customer. It occurs to me that most of the other people commenting on here are also loyal Sky customers, and so, are also not the target audience. The viewing figures will surely show whether the shows are good or not, or popular or not. Initially there will have been a surge in viewers - people who have lapsed from watching the shows coming back to see what's new or what has changed. If those figures are sustained, all the moaning in the world on here, will ultimately just be people whining because things are different. I wish they'd show The Clangers on TV again - yet apparently Teletubbies and The Tweenies were more popular - who knew? What I will say, is that pretty much all the comments in here from the regulars have been polite and constructive, yet the responses from Sky have been more about defence of their product, and less about "taking things on board" than I'd expect - including some language used that was, frankly, unnecessary and offensive. The customer is NOT always right - I know that full well from my own commercial enterprises, yet I know I am also NOT always right (despite what my wife says).
I think the we at the channel has listened to the viewers and reacted in record time. Last week whilst I was actually off sick someone asked for more competitions. I actually called the Producer and asked for one that night. I believe EvilPingu then won a seat to a BH or something similar. We also run a competition during the show last night.
'Can we have more hands on the show'- yes no problem. We are now showing Master Cash tables in the first hour and desperately requesting people send in their hand ID's. We do need your input too.
Of course I am going to be defensive regarding the channel. It has been incredibly hard work and everybody has a right to their opinion. Do you not think its upsetting for us to see people write 'i was in my local petrol station earlier and, like a number of new feature films, I saw that four of last night's channel 865 "live" programmes have already gone straight to DVD'
The viewing figures has gone through the roof. From an average of 1,500 per day to last week getting over 20,000 on some days. I must be doing something right! We had our highest month every on the webstream too with nearly 300,000 clicks.
At the end of the day nobody really likes change, but 6 months ago I was given the option, make changes or have no channel. Some of the changes in place might not be the greatest, but give it time and they will be.
What I ask of our regular viewers is that you support the team infront of the camera and behind. Of course ask if we would consider doing certain things, can we show more tournament, cash, more time with the guest etc, but do not make snap decisions on a new format that is only 4 weeks old.
Any chance of changing some of the break fillers ? I think the majority of regular viewers know the ones used recently by heart now, and some of them are becoming quite irritating.
Any chance of changing some of the break fillers ? I think the majority of regular viewers know the ones used recently by heart now, and some of them are quite irritating. Posted by penguin7
Yes we think they are changing next week, I am sick of them too . We should have some more SPT Luton ones going out. Also on Monday I am shooting some stuff at the Card Stacking event, so they will go to air asap.
We also have the following happening in the next few weeks: SPT Brighton SPT Glasgow GUKPT Walsall New poker dictionary
Anything you would particularly like to see more of in those breaks? Interviews, mini Sky Poker Schools, Top Tips?
Poker Dictionary - That was the thing from ages ago with the slightly chubby dude going "OH MA HA.... 4 CARDS" in a kinda creepy voice, right? That guy used to give me nightmares whenever I stayed up on school nights watching Sky Poker back in the day :') Posted by EvilPingu
LOL have no idea who that was
Might shoot a new version, but if there is a demand to see something else then we can do that instead. The breaks are exactly 5 minutes in length so thats our only restraint
Probably not worth an argument over. The problem we have when we represent a company on a forum like this is that the punters can pretty much say what they like (within the guidelines given) whereas, we have to show forebearance and tolerance. The quote you used above (about straight to DVD) was clearly a tongue in cheek comment, that was possibly the funniest thing I've read on the forum for a while. Whilst, I can see how it would have irked - upset? Really? Yet calling a punter "ignorant" is....... well, I'll leave it for you to ponder.
Comments
It was much easier for the first lot of analysts to make an entertaining show because we had the live tournament hands and a remit to being entertainment with poker tuition/education, seems the remit now is poker education full stop. You'd need to be a genius to make that entertaining for 5 solid hours.
Please skypoker increase the live tourny coverage !
Thank you for the comments friends .
i was in my local petrol station earlier and, like a number of new feature films, i saw that four of last night's channel 865 "live" programmes have already gone straight to DVD.
;-)
p.s Please pass on my best to SkyClaire. get well soon.
update --- recovered with the richard and tikay show last week. i think it must be their talent that keeps the show afloat despite the format. james and anna are fine presenters too. however the format is not quite so buoyant nowadays.
The show on Tuesday was one of our best ones to date. We had plenty of hand requests, a great Chat Box full of poker news stories, live calls with James Hartigan, a brilliant guest and the only 'criticism' we got was that the 5 hours went to quickly.
ALL the talent on the books are outstanding and bring their own personalities to the channel.
I think it is ignorant to think that after only 4 weeks on air we are going to get everything perfect. The TV channel team are adding new elements to each show, each day. BUT we can only do so much at once.
Maybe it was me, but I flicked through the usual sky sports channels a few times and checked the scheduling, but couldn't find any reference to the Sky Sports Bounty Hunter or in deed any reference to Sky Poker.
Likewise on 865, there didn't seem to be any coverage of the main event until after 10.00pm?
Maybe I caught 865 at the wrong moments, but there didn't appear to be much link up with the live sky sports bounty hunter until later in the evening, which for me gave it a bit of an 'after the lord mayor's show' feeling, even though I enjoyed playing in the tournament and managed to cash in 35th place.
claire,
i am only expressing my opinion. you are too. i know that you can ignore and dismiss mine, after all, it is your opinion that determines what happens. the view i have expressed is about the format and, you will see if you re-read my post, not about the presenters. however you are keen to respond to a different issue.
it is a shame to hear you say the only criticism you've heard is praise. perhaps you should hear a greater range of comments.
to infer that i might be "ignorant" is stepping over the line. you might consider that unfair.
Unfortunately we cannot choose when we go on Sky Sports, they just tell us. Would love a regular booking on there, and this is something I am pushing for.
I agree we need to cover more action from the tournaments on a Thursday and will try and get this in from next week.
Please do help though and if you are involved in any of the tournaments that night send in your hand ID's and we will do our very best to get them to air
Thanks
The customer is always right.
It occurs to me that most of the other people commenting on here are also loyal Sky customers, and so, are also not the target audience.
The viewing figures will surely show whether the shows are good or not, or popular or not. Initially there will have been a surge in viewers - people who have lapsed from watching the shows coming back to see what's new or what has changed. If those figures are sustained, all the moaning in the world on here, will ultimately just be people whining because things are different. I wish they'd show The Clangers on TV again - yet apparently Teletubbies and The Tweenies were more popular - who knew?
What I will say, is that pretty much all the comments in here from the regulars have been polite and constructive, yet the responses from Sky have been more about defence of their product, and less about "taking things on board" than I'd expect - including some language used that was, frankly, unnecessary and offensive.
The customer is NOT always right - I know that full well from my own commercial enterprises, yet I know I am also NOT always right (despite what my wife says).
'Can we have more hands on the show'- yes no problem. We are now showing Master Cash tables in the first hour and desperately requesting people send in their hand ID's. We do need your input too.
Of course I am going to be defensive regarding the channel. It has been incredibly hard work and everybody has a right to their opinion. Do you not think its upsetting for us to see people write 'i was in my local petrol station earlier and, like a number of new feature films, I saw that four of last night's channel 865 "live" programmes have already gone straight to DVD'
The viewing figures has gone through the roof. From an average of 1,500 per day to last week getting over 20,000 on some days. I must be doing something right! We had our highest month every on the webstream too with nearly 300,000 clicks.
At the end of the day nobody really likes change, but 6 months ago I was given the option, make changes or have no channel. Some of the changes in place might not be the greatest, but give it time and they will be.
What I ask of our regular viewers is that you support the team infront of the camera and behind. Of course ask if we would consider doing certain things, can we show more tournament, cash, more time with the guest etc, but do not make snap decisions on a new format that is only 4 weeks old.
Thanks
We also have the following happening in the next few weeks:
SPT Brighton
SPT Glasgow
GUKPT Walsall
New poker dictionary
Anything you would particularly like to see more of in those breaks? Interviews, mini Sky Poker Schools, Top Tips?
That guy used to give me nightmares whenever I stayed up on school nights watching Sky Poker back in the day :')
Might shoot a new version, but if there is a demand to see something else then we can do that instead. The breaks are exactly 5 minutes in length so thats our only restraint
Yet calling a punter "ignorant" is....... well, I'll leave it for you to ponder.