Matchroom Improvement list

[VVP]

1) Create and publish the schedule well in advance.

Many WNT problems stem from the schedule coming out very late. It invites conflict with other promoters and limits the availability of top-draw players. Not good for ratings.

WNT is a relatively new, expanding and ambitious tour. But all successful pro tours/sports have predictable schedules published well in advance.

2) Collaborate better with WPA/Predator.

Both sides have already given each other some space. WNT focuses exclusively on 9 ball. WPA/Predator focuses on 10-ball, 8-ball and women’s pool.

Yet getting the schedule right requires active conversations with WPA/Predator. Some conflicts are inevitable, but the problem will only get worse unless the sides communicate frequently and directly.

Predator is here to stay. WNT has to accept that.

3) Revamp and unify the point system.

The winner of every Matchroom-designated major should get the same number of points. Same for second place, semis, quarters, etc.

If WNT really wants the WPC or US Open winner to get more points, make it 2x or 1.5x.

Yet it’s ridiculous to use prize money to determine points - the $250,000 prize for the WPC winner could let a player qualify for the Reyes or Mosconi by winning just that one event.

Spreading out the points would also encourage more players to play in more WNT events.

4) Improve and publish the rules on qualifying for invitational events.

Players and fans should know what the rules are. Every pro sport publishes its rules. WNT does not.

The absence of publicly declared rules allows conspiracy theories to develop and flourish. Controversy about who can play in Reyes/Mosconi is doing WNT no good.

Matchroom ostensibly uses a point system, but it also refuses to invite players with enough points to qualify if they didn’t play in a certain WNT major. This is wrong.

WNT can resolve the issue of players missing majors by avoiding scheduling conflicts. Failing that, points are points. MR is only hurting itself by excluding top players.

If a participation rule is a must, make it 50-plus of all WNT majors or some such.

5) Merit-based Reyes/Mosconi player selection.

I’d give automatic spots to the top four finishers instead of three in the rankings for the Mosconi and Reyes teams. Give players something to shoot for and more reason to play in Matchroom events. One wild card should suffice for marketing reasons.

Get rid of player coaches, especially those who don’t qualify on points. Bring in real coaches. The quality of the Mosconi is better with real coaches imo.

6) Set and stick to an invitational lineup. Is the World Cup of Pool ever going to come back? What happened to the World Pool Masters? Is the Premier League of Pool any better?

Personally I’d junk the Premier League and bring back the WCP and WPM. But MR needs to decide which if any of these events survive and hold them annually.

7) Stop playing favorites. WNT wants to reward players who play in most of its events. I get it. But don’t give freebies to undeserving players. Other players notice and resent it. This is a growing problem for WNT/Matchroom.

8) Reward top-ranked players. Give a cash prize to the top three or five finishers in the rankings each year. Make ranking points even more desirable.

One system: $50,000 for the No. 1 ranked player, $40,000 for No. 2, $30,000 for No. 3, $20,000 for No. 4 and $10,000 for No. 5.

9) Fix and improve WNT.TV. This is a potentially decent source of future revenue if done right. A bad user experience, on the other hand, hurts the WNT brand. While WNT is at it, lower ticket prices to get bigger crowds. That will also aid in the viewing experience.

10) Get rid of the purple 5 ball.

I would combine 5 and 7 as No. 1 on the list. It is insulting to players to put in the time and spend a lot of money only to lose out to an undeserving player. It is an insult to the sport and a major Matchroom problem.
The wildcard should be used as marketing for people such as Duong because of the Vietnam market, not for someone like Jayson Shaw who people claim is a "team guy." What did he do this year or last year in the Reyes Cup? Zilch!
He shines in the Mosconi because he is playing a lesser opponent. The fifth pick can also be used to pick someone who is on a hot streak, but is not in the points running.

Matchroom also needs to get off its high horse like it owns pool and 9 ball is it. Its commentators do not even consider someone to be a World champion if it's in 10 or 8 ball. Sickening!

 

[Rocket354]

There's no question that the introduction of the purple five was a mistake. Still, I have a hard time understanding why the forum continues to beat this dead horse. Whether you are a fan or a player, you've had four WNT seasons to get used to the purple five. That really ought to be enough.

Except that WPT/Predator kept the purple 4 (not to mention every place I play at, including my own home table). It really is frustrating at times to be watching a match and having to consciously figure out what the next ball is or otherwise misread the table a bunch. It detracts from the viewing experience.

 

[markjames]

very well said, it is a one person problem

miss emily, or maybe barry hearn too and the contract with the company that decided to make the five ball something not orange

a person or persons that has yet to admit their mistake and if they haven’t made enough of a profit on new ball set sales in four years then they wouldn’t have concluded the business model was profitable from the outset

admit the mistake and get rid of the purple five forever starting now

the five ball is, was, and always will be orange

the fact that snooker colors (coulors) pink and brown infiltrated pool is one thing

the fact that snooker has no orange and no purple has interfered with the decision to completely change something that is older than all of us and is unchangeable no matter how you try

the five ball is orange

try to turn the snooker brown ball into purple (4 points, center table spot in the D between the yellow and the green)

 

[sjm]

Except that WPT/Predator kept the purple 4 (not to mention every place I play at, including my own home table). It really is frustrating at times to be watching a match and having to consciously figure out what the next ball is or otherwise misread the table a bunch. It detracts from the viewing experience.

Yes, that's why the introduction of the purple five was a mistake, but the real problem was that they used a color already in use in the standard ball set. Ball sets with different colors were not uncommon in our sport, and had the five ball-been tan, for example, few would have cared.

Still, to suggest that it is a challenge to follow this for either players or fans des not stand up to scrutiny. I have seen (or heard of) the error of shooting the wrong ball exactly once in WNT play in all my time around their events, and that player was playing in his first ever WNT major. I have not seen this error made in the last three years even once.

... and yes, some of the events I attend live have a purple four ball, not a purple five ball, but it doesn't bother me in the least. The transition is pretty simple.

Still, your preferences are your preferences and they do matter very much.

 

[jbart65]

WNT's approach is to penalize those who play in WPA events to the max. There's no real reconciliation here.

Not sure this is entirely right. MR does have its participation rule, but most WPA events have not clashed with WNT events. Frazer has actually expressed great relief at the detente and my sense is she doesn't want to go thru with that again.

I think the WPA is in a stronger position than it was before. And I think MR was hurt by the conflict more than it wanted to admit.

Not sure this is important. As long as the schedule is published early, I'm fine.

It's hard for fans to get up for an event if you never know if it will be held. No good sports league or tour has floating events that appear some years and not others. Consistency is key.

There's no question that the introduction of the purple five was a mistake. Still, I have a hard time understanding why the forum continues to beat this dead horse. Whether you are a fan or a player, you've had four WNT seasons to get used to the purple five. That really ought to be enough.

I just needed a 10th reason for my list! (-:

I admit, the purple 5 ball sometimes confuses me, but it's not a huge deal. Still would be nice to see MR admit error once in a while.

 

[Island Drive]

They need to create/try out more announcers.
I tire of two pool players always talking just pool, I enjoy announcers that mix it up, like Tommy during the Camel Pro Series.
I often mute the production, but don't enjoy Not hearing the balls.
It's one of the fun things with the NFL. the color commentators.
Different games/locations announcers are different.
I see allot of women now in the mix with the NFL game talk.

 

[sjm]

Not sure this is entirely right. MR does have its participation rule, but most WPA events have not clashed with WNT events. Frazer has actually expressed great relief at the detente and my sense is she doesn't want to go thru with that again.

Yes, and it's the participation rule that's the problem. It goes against the spirit of the reconciliation with WPA. I'd have no problem requiring 50% participation, but their participation rule is way too stringent and, as we have just seen, can devalue their professional pool offering.

WPA seems comfortable in a world in which players can choose the events in which they wish to participate, understanding that, in the case of the elite performers, the more WPA events they chose, the better. As we know, this was not the case just a year ago. Matchroom still shows an unwillingness to give its top performers freedom of choice, and it is doing damage. Their continued defiance ensures, at least in the short-term, that the great fields we saw in WNT majors in 2022-23, which featured a very high % of the Fargo Top 25, are a thing of the past.

I'm not without compassion for the dilemma that Matchroom faces here, but their stringent participation rule is tending to water down their fields, which doesn't work well for this fan.

 

[jbart65]

Yes, and it's the participation rule that's the problem. It goes against the spirit of the reconciliation with WPA. I'd have no problem requiring 50% participation, but their participation rule is way too stringent and, as we have just seen, can devalue their professional pool offering.

WPA seems comfortable in a world in which players can choose the events in which they wish to participate, understanding that, in the case of the elite performers, the more WPA events they chose, the better. As we know, this was not the case just a year ago. Matchroom still shows an unwillingness to give its top performers freedom of choice, and it is doing damage. Their continued defiance ensures, at least in the short-term, that the great fields we saw in WNT majors in 2022-23, which featured a very high % of the Fargo Top 25, are a thing of the past.

I'm not without compassion for the dilemma that Matchroom faces here, but their stringent participation rule is tending to water down their fields, which doesn't work well for this fan.

Agree on all of this. I think a participation rule is fine, but make it less stringent as you said. Say 50% of big events in a year. And no rule saying you have to play in the last big event before an invitational.

Filler played in the European Open, UK Open, WPC and European Open - four of the top 7 WNT events. That should be enough.

 

[jbart65]

I've been a journalist for decades writing about business and economics. When I got back into playing pool five years ago, I wondered how the sport had fallen off the map. I remember seeing it on ESPN when I was younger and then it just disappeared from view.

Well, no need to rehash what I learned. Sjm and others have recounted the tale of how pro pool lost its way.

Now there has been a rebirth of sorts. Two entities are leading the way, Matchroom and Predator.

The financial journalist side of me asks, what is the business model here for a successful pro pool venture?

What are the costs? What are the sources of revenue? How do you attract and develop players? How do you reach fans? What is the media strategy? What is the proposition for advertisers?

Let's start with the business model for Predator.

 

[jbart65]

The Predator is a very simple one. It's not really trying to make money with its Pro Billiard Series. Its goal is to make playing pool more popular so more people will buy its products.

It gives most of its revenue to the players in the form of prize money once it covers its production costs. It also allows viewers to see its events for free, aside from some limited ticket sales.

Predator appears to work well with sponsors for its events, and it might even have more of them. This approach might be the reason it can offer bigger prizes than Matchroom in many cases.

In short, the main focus of Predator is to maintain and expand its potential market. That's a big reason why it also focuses on women's pool, whereas Matchroom ignores it. Women play pool and buy equipment, too.

Predator has also sponsored some big events for juniors. Again, an effort to expand its market. The move could potentially help develop future pro players too, and that's a good thing in general.

Given the limited aims of Predator, it has a lot of shortcomings.

First, there is no sense of any tour or season, with a beginning and an end. It's just a series of discrete and unconnected events, many of which are increasingly called "world" championships. A top Predator exec told DogginIt they plan some year-end events in the future as a reward to players, so stay tuned.

Second, Predator does not market the players and give life to the personalities that could grow the sport. Players play, and that's it. Ho hum.

Third, Predator doesn't make a big effort to draw lots of fans and create a great fan environment. There's less sense of drama and pressure, which does little to improve viewership. The recent 10-ball event in Ho Chi Minh City was the first to really break the mold, but again, it's Vietnam. Let's see if Predator can replicate that experience elsewhere.

Fourth, Predator doesn't really have a media strategy. It's created its own Youtube channel and gives its content away for free. But it's ambition doesn't go beyond that, for now. Predator offers pool to pool aficionados.

 

[skogstokig]

The Predator is a very simple one. It's not really trying to make money with its Pro Billiard Series. Its goal is to make playing pool more popular so more people will buy its products.

It gives most of its revenue to the players in the form of prize money once it covers its production costs. It also allows viewers to see its events for free, aside from some limited ticket sales.

Predator appears to work well with sponsors for its events, and it might even have more of them. This approach might be the reason it can offer bigger prizes than Matchroom in many cases.

In short, the main focus of Predator is to maintain and expand its potential market. That's a big reason why it also focuses on women's pool, whereas Matchroom ignores it. Women play pool and buy equipment, too.

Predator has also sponsored some big events for juniors. Again, an effort to expand its market. The move could potentially help develop future pro players too, and that's a good thing in general.

Given the limited aims of Predator, it has a lot of shortcomings.

First, there is no sense of any tour or season, with a beginning and an end. It's just a series of discrete and unconnected events, many of which are increasingly called "world" championships. A top Predator exec told DogginIt they plan some year-end events in the future as a reward to players, so stay tuned.

Second, Predator does not market the players and give life to the personalities that could grow the sport. Players play, and that's it. Ho hum.

Third, Predator doesn't make a big effort to draw lots of fans and create a great fan environment. There's less sense of drama and pressure, which does little to improve viewership. The recent 10-ball event in Ho Chi Minh City was the first to really break the mold, but again, it's Vietnam. Let's see if Predator can replicate that experience elsewhere.

Fourth, Predator doesn't really have a media strategy. It's created its own Youtube channel and gives its content away for free. But it's ambition doesn't go beyond that, for now. Predator offers pool to pool aficionados.

this business model has worked well for JOY tables, at least seeing how their tour gradually have been able to increase prize money / events. big difference in the competition though. predator is trying to reinvent the wheel in some aspects. noone needs that triangle and the tables are basically rebranded yalin and SAM tables.

 

[jbart65]

The business model of Matchroom more traditional. The closely held for-profit media company does not sell equipment. Its goal is to create the first, true professional billiards tour in history. Matchroom wants to grow the sport, reach a mass market and make money.

A good comparison is Nascar, the long-running organizer of pro racing. Nascar is also a closely held private company that makes money.

It's a daunting task - others have tried and failed at what Matchroom is trying to achieve.

How come? There is no real industry leader. The sport gets little media visibility and no mainstream coverage. Advertisers are almost nonexistent aside from pool-related businesses. Most players are unknown to the world. The current audience is small and fragmented. And the sport generates very little revenue and profit.

Consider this: As popular as snooker is in the UK and certain parts of the world, the sport earned Matchroom just $1.5 million in the most recent fiscal year. And pool isn't even close to snooker yet.

So what is the Matchroom plan? The template - no surprise - is darts. Darts is by far the most profitable and sales-generating part of the Matchroom empire, a "sport" that no one ever thought would become as big as it has.

First, Matchroom had to create enough major events to constitute a season.

Second, it leveraged its relationship with broadcasters of other Matchroom sports to get its pool events on TV, at least in the UK, Europe and some parts of Asia. The U.S. is closed off for now.

Third, it's created partnerships with venues and advertisers.

Fourth, it signed up or lured WNT Pro players via prize money or the attractiveness of WNT events.

Fifth, it's sought to reach a broader global audience by expanding its events to Asia and other locales, putting its matches on YouTube and creating WNT.TV.

 

[jbart65]

So how has Matchroom done? Not bad, but it has a long way to go.

Three years since the WNT was created, for instance, the tour makes very little if any money. The most recent Matchroom financials suggest billiards contributed negligibly to sales and profits in fiscal 2024. Just a blip, really.

The idea that Matchroom is exploiting players for profit is laughable. In rare moments of candor, Frazer has complained "there's no money in pool" and that the company could lose money if it increased prize money a lot faster than it has. Matchroom financials bear this out - and any sensible pool fan should recognize this.

The battle with the WPA didn't help, but putting that aside, pool is still a tough sell. The audience is Western countries remains limited, and the fastest growth is occurring in Asian markets where revenue opportunities are more modest.

It's best to think of Matchroom as still in the startup phase. Costs are high early on, and the business is not fully mature.

We can see this in the chaotic scheduling. Matchroom is still trying to determine how many big events to have, where to locate them and how to profit off them. Money is a big obstacle in organizing all this - especially at a for-profit company that can't just throw money around.

Think about what it entails. Matchroom has to spend a lot of money to rent a big arena, bring in the tables, hire and train local refs, transport its own staff and production crew, and feed them.

Revenue, on the other hand, are light.

TV money is sparse. Ticket sales are small. Viewership, even with free Youtube matches, is dwarfed by virtually any other sport. WNT.TV is small potatoes. And Matchroom has to rely on the same coterie of partners and sponsors, almost all of which are small and not big revenue generators.

Is it any wonder Matchroom has little money left over to advertise its events? Or to create a proper webpage where fans can find the info they need easily and quickly?

 

[Badpenguin]

Quit screwing with the fundamentals of how the game itself is played.

1. Put the pockets back to the correct size (4.5").

 

[spartan]

Agree on all of this. I think a participation rule is fine, but make it less stringent as you said. Say 50% of big events in a year. And no rule saying you have to play in the last big event before an invitational.

Filler played in the European Open, UK Open, WPC and European Open - four of the top 7 WNT events. That should be enough.

What? If PBS WPA event does not have participation rule, why does MR? In past year or so, MR has been implying or saying that WPA have draconian rules but now they have egg on their faces.

There is a tiny chance someone from MR team gets a glimpse of all the good points here. Like there is a member who is in touch with AZB for their streaming app. Emily personally does not care too much about emails addressed to her in regard with what she is doing wrong.

really teeny tiny chance like 0.000001%.
You can count on 2 hands the number of people reading azb these days

Matchroom also needs to get off its high horse like it owns pool and 9 ball is it. Its commentators do not even consider someone to be a World champion if it's in 10 or 8 ball. Sickening!

Yes absurd. Commentators definitely told not to mention World champions in other discipline.

 

[jbart65]

Where does Matchroom go from here?

First the company has to solidify its tour and make it more predictable. That's part of how you attract players, fans, partners and advertisers.

Frazer said in an interview the other day that Matchroom will have 15 events in 2026. This year, MR put on 10 major events, including the invitationals (PLP, Reyes, Mosconi).

This is all part of a strategy to have a season of sorts, with a beginning and an end, as opposed to a discrete series of events. Something the fans can identify with.

Do well on the tour, and the best players would get an automatic spot or invite to a premier invitational event at the end of the "season."

While many fans think of the Reyes or Mosconi as glorified exhibitions, MR in its ideal world would like fans and players to see them as a playoffs of sort. Or at least something like the Ryder's cup.

Obviously Matchroom has a lot of work to do in this regard. We've debate the issues here repeatedly, so I won't rehash. It is worth noting that Frazer says the WNT will put on more events in the US, including junior events. The goal is to increase the talent pool to improve the Mosconi, the prize jewel of Matchroom's pool portfolio.

Is this enough to make pool mainstream? Probably not. And maybe pool will never be mainstream.

So what else can MR do?

Frazer's answer is this: Create stars and personalities. Create players fans can identify with. Create showmen who can draw crowds, advertisers and, who knows, maybe even TV cameras and media coverage.

Pool's own Luke Littler, if you will. You know, the young Darts star who got a big writeup in the New York Times recently.

This is why AJ Manas was added to the Reyes. Frazer has admitted as much. Matchroom wants a show. Matchroom wants drama. Matchroom wants controversy. Most of all, Matchroom wants stars - especially young ones who can attract a younger audience and have a big social media presence. Expect the WNT to push even more young and rising stars in the the future.

That's why Frazer loved the controversy over AJ's inclusion on the Reyes Asia team. From her viewpoint, controversy is great if it gets people talking. The worst thing for the sport is to be ignored, in her view.

Can she succeed? Will it work? I think the MR strategy is a sound one if properly executed, but I have my doubts.

 

[VVP]

The idea that Matchroom is exploiting players for profit is laughable. In rare moments of candor, Frazer has complained "there's no money in pool" and that the company could lose money if it increased prize money a lot faster than it has. Matchroom financials bear this out - and any sensible pool fan should recognize this.

I really don't want to waste time on this I got better things to do. However, when you have crowd-drawing top notch players investing their time and money to get rankings points only to be left out in invitationals at the expense of MR stooges, what do you call that other than exploitation? If they lose the top players there will be less interest for the sport and their business will decline rapidly, mostly if they get competition from the types like the one in Qatar.

Businesses are there to make money. They are not there for societal good even though that what they try to portray.

If snooker and heyball (which is newer on the scene, I believe) can be successful there is no reason why rotation pool cannot be successful businesses wise.

 

[Island Drive]

I'm hoping for an event somewhere not in Houston. Many good spots in TX.

 

[Hungarian]

There is a tiny chance someone from MR team gets a glimpse of all the good points here. Like there is a member who is in touch with AZB for their streaming app. Emily personally does not care too much about emails addressed to her in regard with what she is doing wrong.

So hope is your strategy?

 

[skogstokig]

i may be a bit prejudiced against british people and dart people, but how much fan attendance would the dart events have if they didn't sell beer? the ones i've seen it seemed like half of them were drunk and disorderly. i'm sure they like darts, but probably also a reason to get away from the missus and sink a few pints..