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When I see the word 'LIVE' in the programme title, I instantly expect to be tuning in to see a programme built around live coverage of that nights big event and if I am honest that is why I would tune into an 865 'LIVE' show.
Apologies for using a football analogy, but I think the audience and product have quite a few similarities.
Maybe it is SKY and its coverage of football that is to blame for planting the seed of misconception of what 'LIVE' should be!
As part of the complete SKY football package they have some excellent programmes.
Saturday morning brings us Soccer AM, (actually this is live, but they are excused of any misrepresentation as they don't call the programme 'Soccer Live'.
Saturday afternoon we have the excellent 'Gillette Soccer Saturday', this covers all the 3.00pm live games for the day, (another live programme, but this focuses solely on the live games of the day).
Saturday evening we get 'Football First', a chance to watch a game from earlier in the day (nothing live here).
Sunday morning brings us the Sunday Supplement, no live action here but plenty of analysis and insight from the games top journalists.
Sunday afternoon brings us 'Live Super Sunday', usually with 2 live games, certainly no recorded hilights from a game from midweek. The programme focuses 99% on the afternoons live action.
The same focus of attention applies for the various midweek 'LIVE' Programmes, 99% focus on that nights action.
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SKY Poker has to its credit put together it's own mix of quality programmes to suit a varied audience sharing an interest in poker, though the key to all great sports packages and coverage is the 'LIVE' element.
For me a broadcast of Sky Poker 'LIVE', should be closer to the equivalent of Sky's soccer Saturday with the poker version of Jeff Stelling and the boys, providing plenty of banter, reports and analysis of the nights main tournaments, not the weekly edition of Sunday Supplement
Why not 4 guys / girls with laptops (or is it Ipads) focusing on 4 tables each from that nights tournaments?
You have a depth of varied quality presenters, players and analysts who I am sure could make the coverage of an online tournament both enjoyable to watch on an entertainment level but also on an educational / tutorial level in picking up on certain players successful strategy to going deep into tourney's and at the other end of the poker tourney spectrum, why certain players are not getting to the business end of the tourney.
There's countless options of how to spruce up the coverage, bringing personalities and audience participation to the forefront, side bets, side competitions, last longer tips, players in form, great play, bad play, bad beats, players most likely to succeed, players who are consistent, players who are erratic, etc. etc.
This should avoid some of the lame 'live coverage' we have now where people are asking for hands to be shown, where as Ryan alluded to, in isolation there isn't actually much of a story behind most of these hands, or the other pet hate I have which is people folding in a hand and then asking for the hand to be shown so they can see what the other player had (after the tourney OK, but not whilst the players are still in the tourney, please!).
All of this is not meant to detract from what are some quality programmes being put together at the moment, they should all have their place in the viewing schedule for Sky Poker.
But at the moment it feels like Sky Football in the summer, by the end of July, I can't wait for the live coverage to start again!
When Orford and Giddins were on even my m8,s would put up with it who arn,t into really into poker. Hopefully we,ll see him back soon even if its just for a guest show or 2
MP