Despite the popularity of poker, both online poker, and live poker tournaments, televised poker is going through difficult times. You may have heard the rumours about the struggles to find a TV home for the World Poker Tour, and it seems they are true as World Poker Tour Enterprises Inc. has announced that they are still in need of a television slot.
For several years, the World Poker Tour was shown on the Travel Channel, but it recently moved to the Game Show Network, where it became the network's highest rated show. Interestingly, High Stakes Poker is also shown on the Game Show Network, and is a rival for that top spot.
The strong ratings aren't enough, however – Game Show Network has decided that they do not want to continue having a relationship with professional poker. The contract expired this Saturday, and they will not be renewing it, so World Poker Tour Enterprises are now forced to find a new home for the show.
Game Show Network has not commented on any plans for High Stakes Poker, but if they choose not to renew that contract then it could spell the end of that show. It is a very popular show, but does not have the advantage of a strong brand name, so it may struggle to find a slot with another network.
Game Show Network has a varied programming, but the most popular shows have been professional poker ones. It will be interesting to see what the network replaces these shows with.
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