Hi, long time lurker here at the forums with a question.

Does anyone know a good way to follow TV poker ratings? I see that the number of participants in most WSOP events is up 20-25% versus last year. I'm wondering how this relates to ratings of poker broadcasts on TV (and online play). Nielsen tracks data and offers poker-related data, but it's $5,000 per year which is a bit rich for some TV data.

Any creative thoughts on how to track this? I play regularly online but am wondering how TV ratings match up with play at the WSOP and online play.

-Tim

im not sure about that, i've wondered myself what kind of ratings the shows get. They must be pretty good since more new shows come out each year.

Well, last year the ESPN ratings for the Main Event were down 20% versus the 2004 event. I enjoyed the broadcast, but they drew it out over too many weeks for the average poker aficionado or guy/gal who is just trying to unwind after work. And I suppose there are only so many Norman Chad quips you can put up with before you hear them recycled.

The TV ratings don't seem to correlate to how many people are playing online, but some people seem to think it's a "leading indicator" ...i.e. the fewer people watching TV this time around, the fewer new fish we add to the online pool in future months. Dunno; thoughts?

This is a good question....I'd love to find a site where they post the ratings for everything, every week...