Sky Poker TV Announcement

MAXALLY

It was a shame to read this yesterday, and like many have said, the whole TV side of Sky Poker will be sadly missed. I still don't understand how a mega million pound company like Sky cannot find an outlay to show Poker on their TV channels. 

I think Sky may have missed a trick in not embracing the new media outlets, like twitch for example, though. 

I hope all the crew from front of house to the backroom guys all get sorted elsewhere in the future. 

Special mention to Mr Orford.....a truly good presenter and likeable chap in real life. Really hope he goes on to greater things or just turns into a poker pro . Oh, and last but no means least......

Happy retirement Tikay!!  

TimmyRaRa

GG Sky TV you will be missed.

Massive honour when Sky poker asked me on there show last year will never forget that so thank you. 

Tikay10

I'll reply to a few of those questions/comments shortly, but first.....

The thread is a credit to all those who posted, & said such warm things about Dan, Louis, Chan, Anna & Whatsit Face.
 
Once the thread settles, I'll send it to them, & I'm am pretty sure they'll be very grateful.  

Tikay10

In Response to Re: Sky Poker TV Announcement:

In Response to Re: Sky Poker TV Announcement : Just want to say that I (obv!) know about your contribution to the show upto and since the demise of #861, and appreciate everything you brought to it, and also the affect this news will have on you. In my post I was referring to the people that currently  only work on the TV show, so I hope you don't think I wasn't recognising you by only mentioning Anna and Rich by name.
Posted by NoseyBonk

Not at all Elliott, I took it at face value & as intended. You have always been a tremendous supporter of all things here & it's appreciated.

Tikay10

In Response to Re: Sky Poker TV Announcement:

Thanks for all the past shows. I was very sceptical about depositing on a poker site, but the personality and the, at times, near professionalism of the presenters put any doubts I had to rest and sky was the first site I deposited on. I joke about the professionalism there, five hours of live air time, three times a week must have been a tough gig, and yet  you guys nailed it Remember tikay giving firm advice about never limping in. I was grinding a play money app at the time and the advice was revelatory to my fishy ears. Beating the play money, trusting the site, reading the forums all gave me the confidence to deposit and enjoy real money poker. Fave moment was either Orford and hartigan singing through top of the pots (he checked the flop...") or that orange geordie dying with laughter as he reviewed a hand where Anna Fowler bet tommyd out of a big pot with complete air.
Posted by TeddyBloat

I probably said that a zillion times, so I'm glad at least one player learned from it, & look at you now, a proper Big Boy & everything.

I have been in discussion with Kirsty, who wants to liven up the Poker Academy, & so I'm hoping to write some "Golden Rules of Poker" & these will go up on the site soon, just, obviously, for beginners & those who can't make it pay. It really is just basics & discipline. For the more advanced players, I'm sure Mr Ambo will chip in, too. I'm meeting with Kirsty on Tuesday week to help develop the plan for the Poker Academy, & see what I can do to help.   

Tikay10

In Response to Re: Sky Poker TV Announcement:

In Response to Re: Sky Poker TV Announcement : WOT? There were actual scripts?? Just kidding......Ch861 is the reason I discovered poker and for that I will be forever grateful. My enjoyment over the last 6 years has just been incredible. Thanx guys & gals 
Posted by Glenelg

Ha, sort of, yes.

The Producer &/or Louis put together a sort of Running Order, with prompts & pre-scripted stuff, & the Presenters usually wrote their own "intro". (Analysts never used a script). And all that was then put on the Autocue.
 
Think I must have done over a 100 Shows with Orford, & he managed to find a different insult to me in every one. He would not "reveal" the insult during rehearsals, to ensure it would be fresh when the Show went live.
 
Think he referred to me as Britain's greatest coffin dodger last week. Marv.     

Tikay10

In Response to Re: Sky Poker TV Announcement:

Thats sad, although I havent seen it since 861 either I was attracted to the site because of TV.  I love the community spirit on Sky which I think will pretty much die now with the TV show gone. Genuinely wish Tony Kendall, Richard Orford and Anna Fowler all the best, thanks for the great entertainment you provided over the years, will never be forgotten! Ger
Posted by gerardirl

Thanks Ger, also for the lovely things you mentioned in the chatbox last night when we were playing.

I'm a little confused by the community spirit dying with the Show. Once it went to Sky Sports, it was not really targeted at Community at all, by necessity.
 
"Community" is a big part of Sky Poker, & is really what I do most of the time. It won't be going away anytime soon, & there will still be plenty of Community Fun Comps & Freebies.   

Tikay10

2 or 3 folks mentioned a "Best of" You Tube Clips from the Shows, that sort of thing.

It was agreed that we may do some Blogs about the Show during it's 10 years, & if so, I'll be writing them in due course.

Have to say, however, I'm slightly uncomfortable about the idea right now, it just maybe feels a little indelicate towards the TV Crew if you get my drift.

Anyway, let's see.
 

Tikay10

In Response to Re: Sky Poker TV Announcement:

It was a shame to read this yesterday, and like many have said, the whole TV side of Sky Poker will be sadly missed. I still don't understand how a mega million pound company like Sky cannot find an outlay to show Poker on their TV channels.  I think Sky may have missed a trick in not embracing the new media outlets, like twitch for example, though.  I hope all the crew from front of house to the backroom guys all get sorted elsewhere in the future.  Special mention to Mr Orford.....a truly good presenter and likeable chap in real life. Really hope he goes on to greater things or just turns into a poker pro . Oh, and last but no means least...... Happy retirement Tikay!!  
Posted by MAXALLY

Well Sky TV & Sky Poker are not as closely related these days, but whoever does the Shows, they cost a lot of money. You mention "multi million pound company", well they become that big by ensuring that every £ spent earns the best possible return. And it was the Management's view, rightly or wrongly, that improving the Product was a better use of their financial resources.
 
Twitch has not been ruled out, though personally I don't believe it drives revenue.
 
Thank you for the comments generally, much appreciated. 

Enjoy my retirement? Ha. I tried retiring twice & failed dismally, I just enjoy working. So, fingers crossed, I'll be around a little longer if I have my way. 

mondo1985

what you guys did with the poker channel was fantastic, you should all be proud.

wish all the crew the best in future, and maybe were see tikay and orford on celebrity Big Brother in January? ;-)

bbMike

Met a good few great people from finding this channel and all that followed. I thank those involved for the entertainment provided and the experiences that resulted.

DoyleBrun

What a sad day used to love 861 when the channel was on I think from 7 till midnight where Tikay could waffle on....... sorry would give us some enlightning stories from his past and Rich would do his best to pull him down at every opportunity, James Anna and Sarah all very good presenters and the experts who would give there advice sometimes especially with me it was light bulb stuff where I would go Oh Yeea that makes sense. At times it was the funniest thing on TV I will miss it immensely.

MissFowler

Thanks guys for your lovely words!  Yes it is an absolute bummer losing your job, especially one you have had for quite a long time, I have moved house, got engaged, got married, met so many of you at SPTs, made some life long friends in my crew, moved studios about 4 times, and as mentioned I have even presented a last show before! I have been proud of working on this show for the past 6 years and I have really enjoyed the last year on Skysports. I am going to miss being a part of SkyPoker, but I am super grateful for all the laughs the show gave me. Oh and of course I would never had met Teaks and had so many chats about motorway services (which secretly I love, although not so much the concrete chat)

I have alreasy presented my last show, but will back on the show on Tuesday as the recreational player, so I hope you are able to watch, and wish us luck!

lots of love, and wishing you all the best Christmas

Fowles xxx

scouse_red

I was lucky enough tobe invited on to one of the shows on 861 a few years back with tikay and James, it was a blast from start to finish, but the thing I took back from that show was the amount of work that went on behind the scenes both prior to and during the show. Non stop professionalism shown by one and all throughout, but it was obvious that each and every person involved enjoyed their jobs..... that is I think the main reason for it's success.

I would like to wish all the team every success in their future projects, I'm sure you won't be looking around for work for too long. 

jimb0d1

Loved the shows on 861. Thanks to all who made it happen.... particularly the regular presenters and Ryan/Redmond who became good analysts.

IDONKCALLU

Its been great learned alot from poker watching the channels on 861 u will be missed tikay rich orford and miss fowler all good things come to an end   always watched the shows rich and tikay funny double act  great memorys thanks all at sky poker 

unknown_username

I used to switch over to  861 behind my Mrs back when she went upstairs for anything and switch back when i heard her heading back. Getting my poker fix. The channel definitely brought me to Sky. 

Its tragic that something so good and genuinely warm natured cant stay for good.

Its a shame there isnt a low budget way of bringing something to some screen . 

The Master Class tables with the TV icon will have to go.

Lets see you try to Program that out !!

jdsallstar

Only got to watch the show sparingly but whenever I did watch I always enjoyed it. More so it really boosted the community feel of sky poker. 

You saw the names on the show you were so used to seeing playing against, the presenters would give details about how they knew them, recent good results etc, then you would come on to the forum and see more of those names talking about whatever was going on at the time.

Sadly with the ending of the show along with the sense that the forum is seeing less traffic and even the end of garys results thread that community feel to Sky Poker I feel has taken another major blow and is trending towards being like the other "faceless" sites out there. Real shame.

Just like to say to all the guys involved in the show that I hope, and I'm sure, you'll all land on your feet wherever else your careers take you. You put together a great show and wish you all the best!

RICHORFORD

Hi guys,

Absolutely gutted. Sky Poker has been a huge part of my life for a decade and I've thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.

I've come to know so many of you, either in the chatbox, on the shows or on the tours and this will take a lot of getting over.

Thank you though for the heartwarming response on the forum and for your stories of how the TV channel brought you here and how much it enhanced your enjoyment of the site.

Although I've really enjoyed the Sky Sports shows, it will be the heady days of Sky Poker TV Channel 861/865 that I will treasure most. The enormous interaction we used to get from you on the forum and via email and the cult following where for a time it was essential to play on the site whilst watching the action live on TV and the banter throughout the night.

Thanks for all your goodwill messages about the future, I'm sure I'll survive- but I doubt I will ever find a presenting job again that I dedicated so much to, and got so much enjoyment from. So for that I am grateful.

And ten years! They said it wouldn't last 12 months!

Thanks to everyone I've worked with over the years, all the faces that have since moved on, and in recent years the likes of Ryan, Stuart, Neil, Ian, the two Kevins and all the guest pundits we've had on.

Thanks to Anna- although we didn't work together much, I was a great admirer of her presenting and was proud to host the show alongside her.

Thanks to all the crew- especially Dan, Chan and Louis. The first two in particular have also been there since the beginning-or not long after- and feel like a part of my extended family.

Thanks to Tikay for not only being my terrific comedy foil for ten years but also managing to survive that long. Not in terms of being on the show, but survive in real life. A true miracle at his age. We had a good double-act and natural chemistry without ever having to discuss it or rehearse it. It just happened.

Thanks to Sky Betting & Gaming for the opportunity in the first place.

And finally, thanks to you guys. I've always said it, and I'll say it one final time. I genuinely couldn't have done the shows we did in the 861 days without your amazing message contributions, which were often quite brilliant and gave me a lot of material to bounce off and a lot of laughs. I always sensed from the community during those years there was a lot of goodwill and sentiment towards the TV show, that our viewers thought of the show as their own, and it was a big part of their reason for playing on Sky.

One last show then- this Tuesday 6th- hope you can make it. Will be emotional.

I wish you all the very best in life and on the poker tables and to sign off I will say what I've said at the end of every show for many, many years now:

'Thanks for watching, good luck at the tables, and good night'.

:-)

Nuggy962

Gutted to hear this guys

Like most have not watched since the move but this must be hard to take from the tv team, and horrible time of year too.

I am sure the tallented on screen and behind the scene guys will do great in the future.

Best of luck and thank you to everyone who made it happen and brought me to this poker site! May have lost a few £ over the years but is great fun! Getting mentioned on tv was always a great feeling, winning a comp even better and still have my recording of my first and only ever tv interview at STP Birmingham by Rich himself! 

jakally

Just found out about this.

Lots of lovely ours spent watching the group of you create great entertainment from online poker - not an easy thing to do.

A huge thank you to Tikay, Anna, Richard & all of the other people who have contributed to Sky Poker on TV.

paige55

i wish you all well have so many memories,laughter  learning and wonderful people from 861,never watched on sky sports but i wish all the team the very best and mr orford did you have to make me cry with your post still love you paige55 xx

smileychop

Gutted to say the least. Sky Poker TV and the sense of community is what sets Sky Poker above all other poker sites for me.

You've all done a fine job of creating a show over the 10+ years with such a genuine warm feel to it. All the best to you all for the final show on Tuesday. I'll definitely be watching. Hope its a belter!

Onwards & Upwards!

gerardirl

In Response to Re: Sky Poker TV Announcement:

Hi guys, Absolutely gutted. Sky Poker has been a huge part of my life for a decade and I've thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. I've come to know so many of you, either in the chatbox, on the shows or on the tours and this will take a lot of getting over. Thank you though for the heartwarming response on the forum and for your stories of how the TV channel brought you here and how much it enhanced your enjoyment of the site. Although I've really enjoyed the Sky Sports shows, it will be the heady days of Sky Poker TV Channel 861/865 that I will treasure most. The enormous interaction we used to get from you on the forum and via email and the cult following where for a time it was essential to play on the site whilst watching the action live on TV and the banter throughout the night. Thanks for all your goodwill messages about the future, I'm sure I'll survive- but I doubt I will ever find a presenting job again that I dedicated so much to, and got so much enjoyment from. So for that I am grateful. And ten years! They said it wouldn't last 12 months! Thanks to everyone I've worked with over the years, all the faces that have since moved on, and in recent years the likes of Ryan, Stuart, Neil, Ian, the two Kevins and all the guest pundits we've had on. Thanks to Anna- although we didn't work together much, I was a great admirer of her presenting and was proud to host the show alongside her. Thanks to all the crew- especially Dan, Chan and Louis. The first two in particular have also been there since the beginning-or not long after- and feel like a part of my extended family. Thanks to Tikay for not only being my terrific comedy foil for ten years but also managing to survive that long. Not in terms of being on the show, but survive in real life. A true miracle at his age. We had a good double-act and natural chemistry without ever having to discuss it or rehearse it. It just happened. Thanks to Sky Betting & Gaming for the opportunity in the first place. And finally, thanks to you guys. I've always said it, and I'll say it one final time. I genuinely couldn't have done the shows we did in the 861 days without your amazing message contributions, which were often quite brilliant and gave me a lot of material to bounce off and a lot of laughs. I always sensed from the community during those years there was a lot of goodwill and sentiment towards the TV show, that our viewers thought of the show as their own, and it was a big part of their reason for playing on Sky. One last show then- this Tuesday 6th- hope you can make it. Will be emotional. I wish you all the very best in life and on the poker tables and to sign off I will say what I've said at the end of every show for many, many years now: 'Thanks for watching, good luck at the tables, and good night'. :-)
Posted by RICHORFORD

Great post Richard.

Ger

IRONZ

It's a sad to see the channel close completely. Back in 2007 it converted me from someone who dabbled on a couple of sites, to a regular viewer and player. I hope there will be something extra (Twitch? A podcast?) which could accompany the action on the tables in future, but I understand completely why TV side had to come to an end.

Many thanks to Tikay, Rich, Anna, the crew, and the original presenters from back nearly ten years ago for hours of entertainment and teaching me a bit of the game.

Any chance you can break out the original 3D table on Tuesday for old times sake?

Red_King

Really enjoyed the 865/861 shows, never seen the sky sports format.

Good luck to all involved, best wishes for the future.

Just a suggestion to sky,

Can you make the last show a free pass, so all of the community can get involved?

unknown_username

sad news this especially to all involved in the production and the presenters good luck all in the future

life goes on tho im sure all involved have their heads screwed on and will find work , i was laid off 5 times last year , imagine that , but being determined where work is concerned i always find summut but thats the life of a self employed person

thanks for the memories a gl

kelly05

pity you dont shut the hole site down. answer this how many people have left this site this year. bet it was more than joined ...and the reason is  the amazzzzzzzzzzzzzzing river cards if u dont  have any luck in life this is the site for you 

Tikay10

In Response to Re: Sky Poker TV Announcement:

What a sad day used to love 861 when the channel was on I think from 7 till midnight where Tikay could waffle on....... sorry would give us some enlightning stories from his past and Rich would do his best to pull him down at every opportunity, James Anna and Sarah all very good presenters and the experts who would give there advice sometimes especially with me it was light bulb stuff where I would go Oh Yeea that makes sense. At times it was the funniest thing on TV I will miss it immensely.
Posted by DoyleBrun

Are you confusing me with someone else, Doyle?

Tikay10

In Response to Re: Sky Poker TV Announcement:

It's a sad to see the channel close completely. Back in 2007 it converted me from someone who dabbled on a couple of sites, to a regular viewer and player. I hope there will be something extra (Twitch? A podcast?) which could accompany the action on the tables in future, but I understand completely why TV side had to come to an end. Many thanks to Tikay, Rich, Anna, the crew, and the original presenters from back nearly ten years ago for hours of entertainment and teaching me a bit of the game. Any chance you can break out the original 3D table on Tuesday for old times sake?
Posted by IRONZ

Unfortunately, that's not possible, it needs a special "green studio" which they no longer have access to, & the Show is obliged to address the Sky Sports audience.

As Anna mentioned earlier, we are currently in our 4th different Studio. The first was in Feltham, & the last three in Osterley. The current one is adjacent to Sky News, though they have now moved to a plush new Studio across the road. Things move on......

For those not around in those days, this was what that "green studio" looked like to the viewer. It appears to be blue, with those card graphics, in fact the studio was bright green & completely empty apart from the Presenter & Analyst.