Capitalizing on the poker's booming popularity, a group of former
BSkyB executives has launched a new UK digital satellite channel dedicated
to poker programming.
Inspired by series such as the Celebrity Poker Club and the rise of
online casinos, The Poker Channel, which went live on March 23, has
been set up by former Sky Ventures commercial manager Crispin Nieboer,
former head of Sky Music Chiara Cipriani and Sky producer James Hopkins.
The station will rely on originated programming, rather than attempting
to compete with the likes of Flextech-owned Challenge for rights to
Celebrity Poker Club, or Discovery for the World Poker Tour.
In the UK, indie Luckbox is producing three (16x30') series, Bar Beat,
Up Close and Poker Godfather. Zeal TV has secured an order for Barny's
Home Game (13x60'), featuring Hendon mobster Barny Boatman. US producer
Artist Tribe, meanwhile, is behind a fly-on-the-wall documentary series
called Beyond the Felt (13x30').
The channel will initially air between 14.00 and 01.00 but Nieboer
said playout would reach 24 hours a day by May when the tournament
reaches its climax.
While heavyweight sponsors and advertisers from the world of online
casinos and beyond have already come onboard, The Poker Channel will
also look to alternative revenue streams from mobile phones, offering
a range of competitions, games, voting and on-screen chat.
"The main problem with what's out there at the moment is
that its not made for the UK market and there's not enough live programming,"
said CEO Crispin Nieboer "We think we can do as well, if
not better than the World Poker Tour. Live is the next big thing to
happen in poker."