Poker holds winning hand in NHL's absence

CHRIS ZELKOVICH

If the deep thinkers responsible for the NHL lockout have accomplished anything, besides keeping Don Cherry's jackets in the closet, it's that they've broadened our horizons.

The highlight shows, no longer able to air endless NHL action, are giving viewers a glimpse of things not associated with ice. At the same time, with hours of prime-time space opened up, some unlikely candidates are finding audiences.

A perfect example is poker, which isn't a sport by anyone's definition. But strong ratings have allowed it to gravitate from afternoon exposure to the prime-time spotlight.

Last fall, TSN's poker coverage averaged 157,000 viewers up against a gripping World Series. That's not a great audience, but it ranks with a lot of pro sports and does a lot better than the average NBA game.

Emboldened by that, TSN is now airing the European poker championships every Thursday night. Last fall's ratings were up 44 per cent over previous poker shows and TSN expects its latest attempt to do well.

``It's not a huge surprise to us," TSN president Phil King says of the ratings rise. ``We've been airing British poker for more than a decade and it's done well."

King says there's no link between the ratings increase and the lack of hockey. Because poker has taken off in the U.S., it's received more publicity and stirred up interest here.

Last summer's World Series of Poker attracted four times the audience of the World Cup of Hockey to ESPN, though ferret-juggling would probably outdraw hockey in the U.S.

``This would be doing well regardless because the publicity it got from the American networks," King says. ``Once that happens, U.S. media talk about it, that leaks over the border and suddenly there's a lot more interest."

That's true, but the lack of hockey has given poker some prime-time exposure and that hasn't hurt.

``Once you see it, you like it," King says. ``It's real, people can lose all that money right in front of your eyes."

That might eventually happen, too, with the X Games. The ESPN-created extreme sports event, which is on ABC tomorrow at 1 p.m., is on a roll in the U.S. Last summer's games showed a 43 per cent ratings increase on ESPN. There hasn't been a ratings explosion here, but the X Games will always get exposure on TSN. Part of the reason is that, like poker, it's cheap programming.

But unlike poker, the X Games are loved by advertisers because they reach that all-important 18-34 age group.

``Extreme sports have a niche audience," King says, ``but they appeal to advertisers because they reach an extremely lucrative and hard-to-reach demographic."

That's pretty much the same reason the NBA graces Canadian TV screens.

ROCKS IN HARD PLACE: Whether somebody at CBC was asleep at the switch isn't clear, but the digital channel Country Canada's licence doesn't allow it to air all of the curling the network had planned. CBC spokesperson Ruth-Ellen Soles says the network is ``in discussions around this issue and working it out." Canadian Curling Association CEO Dave Parkes said yesterday that he's not concerned. In fact, this may work out to the fans' advantage. The CBC may be forced to move some of the prime-time Tournament of Hearts and Brier coverage from the digital channel to the main network. ``That would be great," Parkes said yesterday. It might also reduce the number of complaints from curling fans who haven't realized they'll have to purchase another channel and a digital box to get curling ... Jennifer Hedger, who jumped from a reality show to the overnight desk at TSN SportsCentre, has been promoted to the 10 p.m. slot. She replaces Blake Price, who left TSN last summer.