While it has caught some flak for not being the true “television network” that was probably initially planned, Poker Central has steamed along with its near 24/7 reruns of tournament and “made for television” poker for over two weeks now. On Sunday, one of the first programs made especially for Poker Central will hit the airwaves featuring none other than the iconic ‘Poker Brat,’ Phil Hellmuth.
Sunday at 8PM (Eastern Time), the new program Pokerographywill take to Poker Central’s streamers. As you can probably get through the show’s title, the show will take a half-hour look at some of poker’s brightest stars, much like what the Yes Network does with their Yankeeography or A&E’s Biography (that is, if you remember when A&E did something other than reality shows). The Sunday broadcast is a “special preview” of the program, which will come onto Poker Central full-time the beginning of 2016 and feature other players such as Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Moneymaker, Mike Sexton and Jennifer Harman.
Everyone in the poker world knows who Hellmuth is – or has had earplugs in as he has told them about himself – but the Pokerography episode would give newcomers a look at Phil and, perhaps, provide some background that people haven’t learned about Hellmuth before. The 30-minute program will delve into Hellmuth’s youth in Madison, WI, and his initial forays into the tournament poker world at a tender age. It will also surely have commentary from the effervescent Hellmuth himself, adding some enjoyment for poker fans.
The Head of Programming for Poker Central, Dan Russell, sees Pokerography as being one of the linchpins of the network’s future. “(The show) is an exciting glimpse into the unique and original content that Poker Central will bring to poker fans,” Russell stated toChad Holloway of PokerNews.com. “Pokerography is just one way that the network will help our viewers get to know the players behind the poker faces.”
Beyond Pokerography, there has been a slow drip of new programming from Poker Central. Tournament director extraordinaire Matt Savage is expected to have a show, called Inside Poker, that premieres in 2016 and poker professional Maria Ho has an as-of-yet untitled production on the schedule for her. With a few special “made for television” tournament productions for the channel, Poker Central is predominantly a streaming channel (the network is seen at this time only on devices such as Roku, the Amazon FireTV, Xbox One and 360 and the online site FilmOn.tv) that recycles old tournament poker broadcasts, however.
According to Poker Central Chief Executive Officer Clint Stinchcomb, that will change but it will take time. “We are focused on delighting our viewers and business partners,” Stinchcomb, a former executive with Discovery Communications and the founder of Worldwide Media Group, stated to Holloway. “We hope to one day see Poker Central carried in over 200 countries, which is nearly the extent of the television world.”
Stinchcomb is very aware of the challenges that are facing Poker Central, especially when it comes to content and broadcasting, among other things. “The major challenges…(that) will continue to (face) us for the next several years, is delivering great content that increases viewers, grows distribution and builds great advertising partnerships,” Stinchcomb stated to Holloway. “This is true for any new network (and) we are acutely focused on these areas.” As to the question of when Poker Central might be seen on the more “traditional” broadcasting outlets such as cable or satellite television, Stinchcomb encouraged fans to petition their providers to get the channel added.
Poker Central is obviously still in its infancy and there are new programs on the way, including the full run of the Pokerography series in 2016. The programs need to come a bit quicker, however, rather than the continuous tournament poker broadcasts that currently dominate the station’s airwaves. Without the “fresh” programs that have been promised – and the lack of a non-streaming broadcast source – Poker Central may be burning up the goodwill that the poker world is extending.