IPT TV Coverage Thoughts

sixpack

sixpack

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well, I finally got the chance to sit down and watch the entire program this week. I watched part of the second week, but missed the first and third. I tried to go in with an open mind and just enjoy the pool. Here are my impressions:

1) I like the "jump around" format. At first I thought I would enjoy whole matches more, but the jump around format provides something that no other pool format to date does...the ability to follow your favorite player. In the past, if you're a fan of say, Earl Strickland, you might go months or years between being able to catch matches on TV that he's in. This format, similar to golf, lets you see what your favorite players are doing throughout the tournament. I think a critical part of building a following for a sport is for the average Joe and Jane to be able to identify with a star in the sport, this format allows that more.

2) I like Mike Sigel's commentary. He is over the top with some of his comments, but I appreciate the knowledge and insight that he brings. Most of what he says about 8-ball strategy is old hat to many of us on here, but it's good to hear him talk about the finer points of 8-ball - for example when he was talking about Corey Deuel needing to hit the 8-ball in a cluster to avoid getting a tough shot etc...I also really liked his comment about Efren when he said that he thinks Efren breaks easy because he figures to run out difficult tables and doesn't think his opponents will.

3) Who keeps the Mythology of pool? In sports such as golf and football, there is a keeper of the mythology. In pool it's goofballs like me on internet forums and hanging out in pool halls. I think the IPT is changing that. One of the reasons that pool players have shunned the big time is that we the players/fans don't want to be removed from participation in that.

4) I wish the broadcasts were longer. I regularly watch pool on TV and hardly ever feel like I wish the match was longer. With the IPT broadcasts, I feel like, "oh, it's over already?"

5) I like the way they show both the view of the player and then go to the top view of the table if part of the shot takes place off camera.

6) Kevin is not as bad of a commentator as I thought based on other comments.

7) It was annoying not to understand what Efren said, but it was really great to see him speaking in his native tongue and the enjoyment he got out of it. It sounded like he was singing a song. Do you think the IPT just picked up a million fans in the Philipines? I do. In fact, if it will help the IPT survive, I hope they feature people speaking in their own language every show. I don't care if they translate.

Overall I really like the packaging and thought that has gone into the production of the IPT. I have to say that from a pure pool enjoyment perspective, it was one of the best pool shows I've seen, and I've seen a lot. Don't get me wrong, I REALLY enjoy accu-stats, but they are trying to accomplish different things. In my opinion, the IPT TV broadcasts are a huge success. I hope people are tuning in.

Cheers,
RC
 
Nice post, RC. I pretty much agree with everything you said. Sigel's comments were very good last night. It seems he spent more time talking about pool than trying to embellish the IPT's creation of "Mike the Mouth."

I do not feel KT belongs in the booth. I find him too often annoying and would prefer they hire a knowledgable pool person to debate with Mike (something like Accustats does). KT adds nothing to the telecast, and if he isn't contributing, then he doesn't belong there.

I had never heard of Marlon Manalo before the IPT. What a player! He was a delight to watch. And Efren's runout was a thing of beauty. He makes the difficult look ridiculously easy. Mike's commentary on how Efren solved the table revealed his admiration for Efren's game. I thought that was more like the real Mike Sigel, who, though certainly egotistical, has great respect for the game and players who play it correctly. The "Mike the Mouth" thing is very tiresome.

On balance, though, I've really enjoyed the IPT broadcasts. I do think they should have had a banner translation of Efren's monolog. Yet I found his sing-song speech a pleasing accompanyment to the scenes they showed. In general, though, they have done a good job of presenting high level pool, packaged in a way that would appeal to a broad audience.

I'm eager to watch the advanced rounds when Manalo is matched up with Efren, Bustamante, Mika, et al. How in the world did Manalo ever get beat?
 
KT does a good job on the commentary....however Mike couldn't seem to stop patronizing....esp. Mike Massey because of him being more of a trick shot artist than player...
________
 
Last edited:
Efren's monologue

tedkaufman said:
Nice post, RC. I pretty much agree with everything you said. Sigel's comments were very good last night. It seems he spent more time talking about pool than trying to embellish the IPT's creation of "Mike the Mouth."

I do not feel KT belongs in the booth. I find him too often annoying and would prefer they hire a knowledgable pool person to debate with Mike (something like Accustats does). KT adds nothing to the telecast, and if he isn't contributing, then he doesn't belong there.

I had never heard of Marlon Manalo before the IPT. What a player! He was a delight to watch. And Efren's runout was a thing of beauty. He makes the difficult look ridiculously easy. Mike's commentary on how Efren solved the table revealed his admiration for Efren's game. I thought that was more like the real Mike Sigel, who, though certainly egotistical, has great respect for the game and players who play it correctly. The "Mike the Mouth" thing is very tiresome.

On balance, though, I've really enjoyed the IPT broadcasts. I do think they should have had a banner translation of Efren's monolog. Yet I found his sing-song speech a pleasing accompanyment to the scenes they showed. In general, though, they have done a good job of presenting high level pool, packaged in a way that would appeal to a broad audience.

I'm eager to watch the advanced rounds when Manalo is matched up with Efren, Bustamante, Mika, et al. How in the world did Manalo ever get beat?
Click to expand...


Efren stated in his monologue during the IPT KOH that he thinks Mike Sigel "was" the greatest american player of all time.
 
I like the way they do the coverage, it has more entertainment compared to other pool coverage on tv. They have interviews of the players. Expert and low level commentaries, don't get me wrong I like to get tips from the expert but having comments from KT or the other guy is good for the beginners who are watching.

I like to see more games rather than just 1 key game of the match, but considering the amount of players and matches it would be difficult to do it at 1 hr/episode. Maybe KT should have his own billiard tv channel and be able to show all of the matches. (I would have to get a separate tivo for that):)

Also, it would be great if they have the same or better camera works/angles and slow motion of player's body movement compared to that of the Matchroom Sports pool coverage. But again, there are so many players and matches that they have to cover.
 
I think they should make it a 2 hour show with the caveat that they keep the first hour the same, then show a 2nd hour with how the non-winners got eliminated or coverage of some other matches. It may just be me, but I could swear that Mike is calling Efren "Efrem". It sure sounds like an "m" to me. Maybe he's thinking about Efrem Zimbalist Jr. when he's talking about Efren. I couldn't believe he hadn't heard of Manalo either.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top