Who said anything about Netflix, they don't live stream, let alone show sports.
Is the National Billiards League legit, or a scam?
- Thread starter JMiller1975
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And like I've been saying, WHO wants to watch the Pros playing against a bunch of amateurs????
I've been to China and Taiwan 10 times. Talked to my coworkers there about pool every time. None of them watch it. Not a single one. We Americans think pool is all rosey in Asia, that its on TV all the time, that its watched by Asian Joe Schmo all the time. Its not.
If you really believe 150MM people are watching Snooker in China, then that's as good a statistic as the common BCA statistic that 50 or 80 MM Americans play pool. (I forget the exact number, but it is way up in the millions, and was in the BCA trade material in the early 2000's and all of us use that number over the years on here). Its a BS number. Same as 150MM Chinese watch snooker.
Doesn't matter if its Netflix on demand or Youtube live streaming or some new service. Few will watch, for the main reason that has always held pool back: Its boring as a spectator sport.
Hell, if pool were so popular in China, then any video with Siming Chen in it would have numbers higher than Efren's numbers for viewership. You have China vs the World, you have the battle of the sexes (if she's playing a male), and you have most likely the best female pool player that ever played the game. Yet her viewership numbers aren't anything special.
You're the expert right?
My gf is Taiwanese, moved to the US 7 years ago. She has special social media only for Chinese. No American would even know how to find it. 1000's of member on this platform living in the US that are from China or Taiwan. She is in the local group for our city, maybe 1000 Chinese and Taiwanese members combined. There was one guy who just moved from China to the US, and he is a pool player. He asked the whole group if anyone knew where to play pool in Atlanta, or wanted to play. None of the member knew anything. If pool was so popular in China and Taiwan, there would have been a bunch out of 1000 member that knew something about pool and where the hotspots were in Atlanta.
I stand by my statement, that its an American myth that pool is all rosy in Asia.
I stand by my statement, that its an American myth that pool is all rosy in Asia.
No, but I have some experience in Asia. More than most on here anyway. Every time I go I seek out pool halls. Its all I do at night when I have time off from work. They are not packed. No waiting list. maybe 1/4 full. I even ask them about business. Because I was "trained to believe" that pool is great in Asia. But when I went there and saw with my own eyes, the pool halls aren't jumping any more than they are here.
No I'm no expert, but with my own eyes I will say its a myth that pool is jumping in Asia.
No, not at all, she's only the second most digitally followed player on the planet with 57,650 followers!
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Opinions don't make facts, sorry.
Agree 100% !
Here's something else I want you to think about. In 2020 Matchroom sports streamed a whopping.......114 hours of live streamed pool matches!! Did you catch that? 114 hours, for ALL of 2020!!!! And NO VOD streaming!!
Calcuttas unfortunately don't always result in the best performing player at a major (or many non-majors) event winning. It's called, as we all know, chopping - a far to regular occurrence. One glaring case in point? Dennis and James at the Derby. I understand the sad reasons "why" it happens. But it's not a good look to further the game. That said, I personally feel that there shouldn't be calcuttas in pool - at all. Because of this reality.
I can't disagree with a word you have said. The major problem is that we are trying to market at least a five or ten year plan to somebody who is trying to figure out how to pay this month's rent and light bill. The old thing about being hard to remember the goal is to drain the swamp when you are up to your ass in alligators!
I gave pool a hard look in seventy-three when I was playing good enough to have a chance of beating anyone on a given night on my home turf. Might have just been a flash in the pan but I had my shot. Trouble was, anything else I could think of including circle track racing beat pool. If a new program had started then it would have taken five to ten years to be viable. Today it would take the same five to ten years. If we keep down this same path, in fifty years pool halls will be the stuff of nostalgia and there won't be a pro event in the US. A bleak picture but we have an issue of entitlement. If somebody holds a million dollar event the pool players think it should be a two million dollar event. In the fifteen years or so I have been on AZB, men's pool has had more chances than any group I know of and there were not less than a handful of tour ideas that could have been viable in the decade or so before that.
We had a major event. Pulled in an outside sponsor, furniture wholesaler I believe. Some players were jackasses talking to the promoter, some mocked the sponsor right in front of their set up at the match. With costs to put on the match and the purse, there was a million earmarked for this first event, four million more for events that year with at least a three year plan before the events had to be self-sustaining. As usual, when the would be savior of men's pool stuck his foot in the sewage and saw up close and personal what he was dealing with he did just like several more when they were taken over the hurdles in their first event, adios, hasta la vista! Something like that anyway.
With all of the desperate pool players anytime there is cash to be had there are always a few that decide it is their turn to grab. Past history says any new promotion is bound to fail, ignoring the fact that most of the failures lay squarely at the player's feet.
I think we both understand the "why". The thing is "why" is the abstract, doesn't mean a thing. "What" is much more important, the long history of failure of men's pool. The would be promoters are right, offer men's pool a million dollars to chop up and there will be some that try a shortcut to get to the cheese.
There are some solutions but if the industry insiders can't make it happen I am sure the members of AZB aren't going to get it done either.
Hu
I can't disagree with a word you have said. The major problem is that we are trying to market at least a five or ten year plan to somebody who is trying to figure out how to pay this month's rent and light bill. The old thing about being hard to remember the goal is to drain the swamp when you are up to your ass in alligators!
I gave pool a hard look in seventy-three when I was playing good enough to have a chance of beating anyone on a given night on my home turf. Might have just been a flash in the pan but I had my shot. Trouble was, anything else I could think of including circle track racing beat pool. If a new program had started then it would have taken five to ten years to be viable. Today it would take the same five to ten years. If we keep down this same path, in fifty years pool halls will be the stuff of nostalgia and there won't be a pro event in the US. A bleak picture but we have an issue of entitlement. If somebody holds a million dollar event the pool players think it should be a two million dollar event. In the fifteen years or so I have been on AZB, men's pool has had more chances than any group I know of and there were not less than a handful of tour ideas that could have been viable in the decade or so before that.
We had a major event. Pulled in an outside sponsor, furniture wholesaler I believe. Some players were jackasses talking to the promoter, some mocked the sponsor right in front of their set up at the match. With costs to put on the match and the purse, there was a million earmarked for this first event, four million more for events that year with at least a three year plan before the events had to be self-sustaining. As usual, when the would be savior of men's pool stuck his foot in the sewage and saw up close and personal what he was dealing with he did just like several more when they were taken over the hurdles in their first event, adios, hasta la vista! Something like that anyway.
With all of the desperate pool players anytime there is cash to be had there are always a few that decide it is their turn to grab. Past history says any new promotion is bound to fail, ignoring the fact that most of the failures lay squarely at the player's feet.
I think we both understand the "why". The thing is "why" is the abstract, doesn't mean a thing. "What" is much more important, the long history of failure of men's pool. The would be promoters are right, offer men's pool a million dollars to chop up and there will be some that try a shortcut to get to the cheese.
There are some solutions but if the industry insiders can't make it happen I am sure the members of AZB aren't going to get it done either.
Hu
If you study the changes being made in advertising as I have, and do, you find out the trend in advertising is being more and more directed to social media because thats where most people are being reached today, by advertisers. Cell phone users has skyrocketed over TV viewership, because almost everyone is walking around with a cell phone today! Even the banks are relying on cell phone use more than you walking into the bank. Advertisers send coupons to your phone, fast food deals can be found all day long on your phone. You don't even have to sit at home anymore to watch TV, you can watch it on your phone, movies too. Netflix, Disney, Hulu, HBO....everything's available on your cell phone today. People don't want to watch 3 hour matches on their cell phone, they want to use it to keep updated on the players they follow. If they want to go back and watch a peticular match, they can mirror their cell phone to the TV when they get home and then watch the match on a bigger screen! If watching Professional pool matches was as easy as watching it on your phone, and cheap enough not to discourage anyone with high streaming costs, it'll get watched! But pool matches MUST be broken down into two categories, 1, video on demand, and 2, live streamed. That way viewers that want to watch live, but can't for what ever reason, can still come back and watch on their time frame. And if they want to keep up with live updates, but they're NOT at home, then they NEED to be able to keep up to date on their cell phones! Furthermore, you'll NEVER build a viewing audience if all you have to present to the viewers is ONE live streamed table with TWO players playing, who's to say they want to watch those TWO players!! Live streaming MUST at a minimum offer the viewers at least a choice of 8 possible live streamed matches simultaneously, then they have a CHOICE of matches to watch, and are therefore more inclined to find a match they want to watch.
Is Snooker less watched in India than it is in China, well, according to you, no ones really watching anything in China. Here's what India has to say...
“We know there is a great interest in snooker in India and with over a billion people it is a potential growth market for us. By providing more fans with the chance to watch the best players competing for the major titles live and free on Facebook, we hope to develop awareness and interest in our sport. We already have a global television audience of 500 million and we are constantly striving to bring snooker to new people across the planet
Apparently "calcutta money" IS counted in the prize money. That's exactly how this "National Billiards League" has set themselves up in an effort to dupe the players.
Nevada Gaming Commission does not ban betting on pool. Its up to individual casino/books whether to post odds on it.
So tell me then, WHY isn't there any gambling done on the US Open 9B matches, held IN a Casino, IN Nevada?
The Gaming Commission don't ban gambling on pool matches, because its NOT recognized by the STATE GAMING COMMISSION as a sports betting platform in the FIRST place! If its NOT recognized, its NOT allowed!
No different than gambling, ANY gambling on pool, during the DCC held IN the Horseshoe casino is against the law in the state of Indiana!!! Its NOT a form of gambling recognized by the state of Indiana, INSIDE a casino.
My friend Harry Platis, who IS a lawyer, known by many, has been working his ass off for more than 20 years to get pool recognized as a paramutual wagering sport, and as of today, many states have voted to allow paramutual wagering as a legal form of betting, because it does NOT fall under the laws of gambling, "any game of chance" but even though many states have passed a bill allowing paramutual wagering, NO state has listed pool as a paramutual wagering sport as of today!!