WSOP Final Table Ratings Down 7%

The WSOP Main Event final table had 2,199,000 viewers, down 7% from 2008's 2,364,000 viewers, but still substantially higher than the pre-November Nine 1,552,000 viewers in 2007. I find the decline surprising given that Phil Ivey made the final table and the players got more publicity than they did last year (e.g. Steve Begleiter in Time). On the other hand, there was one more day this year for people to hear the results before the final table aired.

ESPN's statement:

The telecast earned a 1.8 household coverage rating in an average of 1,806,113 households, a slight decrease from the 1.9 rating earned for the 2008 finale.

ESPN’s 15-week schedule of World Series of Poker coverage in 2009 included 31 telecasts averaging a 1.0 rating, even with last year. However, averages for households (1,024,901) and viewership (1,228,008) increased nine and seven percent, respectively, from 2008, and the important Male 25-54 demographic saw a 13 percent jump from 2008.

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