WNT, WPA and 2026

jbart65 said:
The biggest surprise to me was Predator scheduling a large event in San Antonio in late November that overlaps with the first three days of the Mosconi Cup. Ominous sign of things to come, or just an innocent scheduling conflict? The Mosconi date used to seem sacrosanct.

Not a big deal, one would think, because there are only 10 players at the Mosconi. But this is the second year in a row a Predator event overlapped with Mosconi. Definitely some competition for viewers.
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I suggest that you Google and listen to all the Podcasts Karim Belhaj participated in so you can hear directly from the "horse's mouth."
Predator does not see WNT as a competitor for viewership. In fact, it is in Predator's interest to flood WNT events with all its best players so it can get free commercial for its name brand.

As you rightly stated, Predator does not hold the PBS events to make money - Karim specifically stated this. He stated that his goal is to grow the visibility of the sport and we all know that also means the visibility of Predator products. I have said before that the PBS events are the greatest commercial a product manufacturer can put on.

As far as the prize money, a good portion comes from other advertisers and Predator has to present reports to them to show that its events have wide viewership before they commit to spending money.
 
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Kris_b1104 said:
While I enjoy reading most of your posts as they are informative and unbiased, I do think you are severely underestimating Predator as a brand. They have been in business for over 30 years, and a majority of that time their shafts and cues have been selling like hotcakes, in an already small niche sport. Their sales from their cues/shafts alone dominate the market and probably generate more money than any other cue-making company.

Back in the days, almost every amateur wanted to or played with a Predator cue/shaft, even if they couldn't run 3 balls in a row, due to Predator's marketing and elite shafts like the first generation 314, 314-2 and Z2. It's only been recently that they are getting competition with other brands now making CF. At one point, they had the most amount of sponsored pro players ever, maybe still do. Their hold on the amateur market is very telling as well.

Predator makes A LOT of money in this niche sport. The only other pool company that I can think of that rivals them is Diamond when it comes to revenue. Any APA 3 knows who Predator is. Some have never even heard of Matchroom or WNT or even follow pro pool, but they for sure know Predator.
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This is the primary difference between Predator and Matchroom The events Predator produces is for the benefit of the amateurs, whose events they invariably partner with. Predator's involvement with pro pool has always kept their brand in the spotlight with the amateurs, which means sales.

At the recent Las Vegas Open, I was told that there were over 11,000 amateurs present participating in the bar table events played that same week in the same grand ballroom as the pros. The pro event, having free admission, not only reinforced that many of the top pros are choosing Predator, but kept Predator relevant in the minds of every amateur. Predator had sales reps and booths in the arena, too. It's pure speculation on my part, but I'll bet Predator sold a lot of product during the Las Vegas Open. Pro pool is a vehicle to bolster the sales of Predator products, and every indication is that this strategy has been a great success. Predator is selling product much more than entertainment.

Matchroom, on the other hand, is in the entertainment business, and their production values drive home how good they are a setting up a live event on-site. Matchroom sports has been setting up great arenas in boxing, snooker and many other events for decades, and they have it down to a science. The fan experience at a Matchroom event far exceeds that found at Predator events, but that is because Matchroom's focus is different than that of Predator.

Predator has succeeded wildly because it has skillfully courted the casual amateur player in a way that has led to sales. Matchroom has done a good job of courting junior players worldwide, but the casual amateur player must be courted with greater skill if Matchroom is to enjoy the best possible financial results. As many have already noted, Matchroom must also stop alienating pool's biggest headliners, who have more choices than they've ever had.

PS Let me conclude by saying that I don't think format or ball colors have anything to do with what's holding Matchroom back. I think the fact that slow play is routinely tolerated for the first four days of a Matchroom major, even on some of the streamed matches, is a big problem that reduces the entertainment value of the pro pool product. I also think that the use of 4" pockets in Matchroom events has robbed the game of its fast of loose heritage and, strangely enough, has made 9ball feel a lot more like 10ball than in the past.
 
I have a hard time telling which ball is which, due to programming on line and New Ball colors, but the 4'' pockets I totally agree with, it eliminates aggressive play and gives the viewer a game like golf, always behind a tree.
 
sjm said:
Wow, that's tough. How about David Alcaide? Jayson Shaw?
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Shaw was Mr Obvious! (-:

One site showed Alcaide missing the U.S. Open, but that didn’t seem right to me. I double checked. He did play. So he is one of five who played in all the biggest MR events.

One more Euro on the younger side played everywhere last year.

One of the Asian players should be easy.

The event most big players missed was the Philippines Open.
 
jbart65 said:
Shaw was Mr Obvious! (-:

One site showed Alcaide missing the U.S. Open, but that didn’t seem right to me. I double checked. He did play. So he is one of five who played in all the biggest MR events.

One more Euro on the younger side played everywhere last year.

One of the Asian players should be easy.

The event most big players missed was the Philippines Open.
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Capito?
 
The simple fact is that cooperation is essential to a successful professional sports product. This is a joint production problem where both producer revenue and consumer utility are maximized when governing bodies, promoters, and players work together. You can prove mathematically that fragmentation destroys value and that fragmentation is especially harmful in individual sports where most of the eyeballs are focused on a small number of top players.

If Matchroom/WNT and Predator/WPA/CSI decide to duke it out like chickens in a cockpit then they will be worse off, the players will be worse off, and the viewers will be worse off.
 
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