I'm sorry to be a negative Nancy, but...Pool has failed on TV over and over. Out of all the failures I think the IPT was the best effort. 8 ball is what people know, so that's what the pros should play, Trudeau got that part right. Not a fan of his (in fact I despise him), but credit where credit is due. People don't understand 9 ball and they certainly do not understand 10 ball. They typically find these games boring and confusing. Most of all pool in America does not have a proper league system to feed into a pro tour. Any schmuck with 500 dollars can enter any tournament. While this could be argued to be a strength, I do not think so. If you get the leagues involved, there is an incentive to do better and weaker players will pay into the system, creating the possibility of a pro tour, which can then be further financed with sponsors once the popularity rises.
The one vs one aspect of pool I think is one of its strongest selling points. IPT tried to build up the players characters with short interview snippets between matches, which was a good idea, but should have been taken even further. Once people know the players and get their own personal favorites, they get sucked into the game and a fan base can be built. While I don't believe you need to go to wrestling-like extremes, building up conflicts and rivalries can really get some life into the sport if done in good taste and with the good of the sport in mind. With only two players playing at a time you can really build up a narrative, and with that suspense and drama (in a sport sense). The players in pool can easily be seen as boring robots, which is why it needs good commentary and background to really "pop" on TV.
The current "cash based" system where the leagues have handicaps and cash prizes with little prestige and the "pro tour" being a few separate tournament with no actual ranking system, there is no way to build respect for pool as a real sport. It will forever remain a fringe activity for bar flies, hustlers and low-lives. No one will ever sponsor something like that except alcohol or tobacco companies and perhaps online gambling. Of these three only the latter remains a viable option, and with pools reputation being so poor, even that seems far fetched.
I'm not optimistic that pool will ever become a mainstream sport again, but I think with the above changes it can at least get on TV once in a while and maybe sustain a dozen full time pro players.
To launch something new like Bonus Ball and expect to be successful you need a massive advertising budget and good pr people. And most of all you need a budget to stay on the air, even if it is not an instant success. Even Seinfeld needed a couple of attempts and some passionate people to believe in it before it finally succeeded. When you look at Bonus Balls previous attempts at making it "throwing a toothpick at a lumberyard" is the expression that first comes to mind. Today you need funding and powerful supporters to break through, even if the product you are launching is interesting (exceptions to the rule are porn and fighting).
