Free ideas to get more viewers watching pool

Luxury

Luxury

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Please feel free to add more ideas. Remember that anyone can use your ideas.

Here are the things I've noticed that viewers like:

1. Watching women play
2. Watching teams play
3. Watching trick shots
4. Watching speed pool
5. Watching extreme draw shots
6. Watching masse' shots
7. Watching jump shots
8. Watching big break shots
9. Watching offensive shots
10. Watching nine ball and eight ball

So If I were trying to sell pool I would try giving the fans what they want and just say to heck with the "purists" on azbilliards who think watching good safety play and one pocket and long boring matches with no emotion is the only way to go because the players are starving and pool is dying as the attention spans of Americans are shortening.

So here are some ideas:

Team play brings out way more emotion and celebration and since we know people enjoy watching women play we would have teams with men and women.

Have a decathlon style match up where you get points for each event. You could have a nine ball point and an eight ball point where safeties aren't allowed. Next is the extreme draw competition with everyone on the teams getting a few cracks at it, then a point for the better speed pool times, then a point for a quick trick shot competition.

How about we do a jump shot competition next where we add more and more balls to jump over? Now a quick game of speed one pocket for a point. Next see who can masse' around the most balls followed by another game of no safety nine ball then a break competition where you get several eight ball breaks and the team that pockets the most balls wins a point. Yes there is lots of luck there but it's fun to watch. It doesn't even matter if the cue ball leaves the table. Just go for it!

I have other fun categories but I'll stop there.

What original and creative ideas would you like to throw out there. It's okay to brainstorm. No idea is bad. No one is proposing that we can make pool huge. If your idea adds even 10% more viewership then that's a 10% raise for the players.

Thanks for listening.
 
Pay them to watch pool, it is what Oprah does.

Have a hack event and see if programmers can simulate live pool action from their computer and stream it via http. To be clear that is to have a computer animation of what the pool table is doing as it happens. The advantage would be for the disabled that have trouble getting out to the pool sites.
 
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I would love to play in a scotch doubles blind draw pro-am. Playing beside a pro in a scotch doubles format would be a huge draw. You think?
 
As someone who has streamed countless hours of pool I would say that its all a matter of having 2 big names going at it for the cash but to get those match ups its usually not FREE. I will say this too, word of mouth is big, spread the word about your favorite streams and it will catch on more and more because right now streamers mainly just use AZ Billiards to get it out there along with Facebook which are free too.
 
If there could be different types of people at the billiards events that could help new people stay interested. Everytime I goto an event its always die-hard billiard fans, and I have virtually nothing to say.
 
11. Womens Strip Pool

I know you're being serious and you have some great ideas. I am being serious too.
 
-- The Bikini Open --

race to three double elim.no girl can weigh over 145 and 3 inch hells.
the place will be full of spectators.I was a witness to one of these events
a few years back.it was a 10 dollar entry and 500 to win.


bill
 
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There are some great ideas here already. IMO Pool needs to get things moving and quickly to make sure it moves forward and doesn't stagnate or go backwards as it appears to be doing. We need to eventually draw in people from outside of the immediate Pool world, both Fans and Sponsors. Several suggestions to get started:

Womens Team Event - Like the Mosconi Cup Format with perhaps Northern Hemisphere v Southern Hemisphere.

Pro Am Events at some bigger tournaments - Maybe Scotch Doubles or Teams etc. I'd like to see this on the day before the tournament starts. Perhaps an online registration to be included in a drawing to pick the amateurs to play.

Charity Events - It's always a good way to get the local and even sometimes National Media involved. Again maybe a Pro Am would be good here, the more money generated the more coverage it would get.

Mosconi Cup - Lets try to up the profile of this, I know that's for Matchroom to do and or be involved in, but it deserves more recognition. Pester you local Radio and TV Stations to at least get them interested after all it's a Patriotic Team event something the Media generally loves. Get them to at least provide daily updates on the results. It's carried live in Europe on Sky Sports, it absolutely should be here.

Local Media Radio & TV - Bug the crap out of your local Media outlets to at least provide results or coverage of local tournaments. Get your local Sports Reporters to come out and see that places are not always dives frequented by shady people. They provide coverage of local HS and MS Football, Baseball, Basketball and other events, why not Pool.
 
Lenny,

What about exploring the possibility of using either Netflix or iTunes to reach outside of AZ/Ustream audience? Right now alot of large screen TVs are netflix capable or need a little Roku box. The iTunes equivalent is the Apple TV box. I think Netflix and iTunes can bring pool streaming into bars and poolhalls.


Fast Lenny said:
As someone who has streamed countless hours of pool I would say that its all a matter of having 2 big names going at it for the cash but to get those match ups its usually not FREE. I will say this too, word of mouth is big, spread the word about your favorite streams and it will catch on more and more because right now streamers mainly just use AZ Billiards to get it out there along with Facebook which are free too.
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Anyone watching the border battle? I really like the format. They play for 15 min and who ever is ahead wins. It is exciting when it is tied with only 30 or 40 seconds left. Thats when the crazy starts, like 9 ball flying.

Winning money each rack would also make it more interesting.
 
great ideas from georgia boy

Georgia Boy said:
There are some great ideas here already. IMO Pool needs to get things moving and quickly to make sure it moves forward and doesn't stagnate or go backwards as it appears to be doing. We need to eventually draw in people from outside of the immediate Pool world, both Fans and Sponsors. Several suggestions to get started:

Womens Team Event - Like the Mosconi Cup Format with perhaps Northern Hemisphere v Southern Hemisphere.

Pro Am Events at some bigger tournaments - Maybe Scotch Doubles or Teams etc. I'd like to see this on the day before the tournament starts. Perhaps an online registration to be included in a drawing to pick the amateurs to play.

Charity Events - It's always a good way to get the local and even sometimes National Media involved. Again maybe a Pro Am would be good here, the more money generated the more coverage it would get.

Mosconi Cup - Lets try to up the profile of this, I know that's for Matchroom to do and or be involved in, but it deserves more recognition. Pester you local Radio and TV Stations to at least get them interested after all it's a Patriotic Team event something the Media generally loves. Get them to at least provide daily updates on the results. It's carried live in Europe on Sky Sports, it absolutely should be here.

Local Media Radio & TV - Bug the crap out of your local Media outlets to at least provide results or coverage of local tournaments. Get your local Sports Reporters to come out and see that places are not always dives frequented by shady people. They provide coverage of local HS and MS Football, Baseball, Basketball and other events, why not Pool.
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Great ideas GB, they are very similar to Professional Golf & these ideas will work.

I will add to that list;
a. I like Celebrity Pro-Am Mixed Scotch Doubles
b. Rail Bird MCees mixing it up with side betters & backers
c. Ring game Kelly Pool with the audience betting on players (like horse racing).

Let's get something going... Good Luck
 
Steal from Poker

The best poker broadcast hits the air at 3 a.m. in my town, and it's called Poker After Dark, which features well-known pros playing for their own cash. The game is legal (played in a private room at the Bellagio), table talk is encouraged, and the announcers are restrained.

I'd also like to see Norman Chad take a shot at announcing pool. He's a great asset to the WPT, and his schtick would probably work with pool, too.

Finally, let the players drink on set if they wish. Picture McCready and Strickland barking it up while playing for their own cash, beers at their side. More than just pool players would enjoy that.
 
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