ShareA section of the poker community has started a debate on whether it is wrong for the World Series of Poker Main Event final table to be behind a paywall. Many players have taken to social media to express their disappointment after chess and poker streamer Alexandra Botez tweeted an opinion that it would be better for poker overall if it was free to view.
Is the Rights holder Responsible for the Growth of the Game?
The key argument by Alexandra Botez and others is that it is hurting the growth of the game and missing out on a great opportunity to attract more people to the game during the most prestigious tournament of the year.Botez’s criticism is aimed squarely at PokerGO who own the rights to stream the World Series of Poker. The question is: do they really have any responsibility to grow the game?
While some fans are willing to pay to watch the final table, others believe that it should be accessible to everyone. The controversy has sparked a debate about the future of poker and how it can continue to grow as a sport. Despite the paywall, the WSOP Main Event final table has still attracted a lot of attention, with many people tuning in to watch the action.
Of course, not everyone agrees that PokerGO should be backed into a corner over anything once they have paid for the rights. If anything, that argument should be laid at Caesars’ doorstep. But many well-known names joined in the discussion, including former Facebook exec Chamath Palihapitiya.
“I agree with you 100%. The entire free web’s revenue model (google, Facebook) is about audience expansion and “similar audiences” adding to a core audience. The premise only works if your free content increases your total audience by enough that when you monetize this new, larger group, you are profitable and thus keep doing it.
“Google and Facebook’s revenue would suggest this is the value maximizing thing to do and works for most businesses / content owners. Poker should be broadcast free to as many people as possible so more folks fall in love with the game. Add some good commentary from @Ali_Nejad and @NickSchulman and you can have a new Monday Night Football on your hands…“
Joey Ingram gave a more balanced opinion that looked at both sides of the argument.
GazzyB, however, was the most blunt of all…
Some tried to argue that showing the Main Event for free and advertising just like on TV would be a normal way forward. Others were of the opinion that the tournament has taken on more of a lottery quality due to the extent that it has grown and so it is all meaningless anyway. It probably is fair to say that a good proportion of serious poker players could not name the last 10 WSOP Main Event champions.
GazzyB added: “I think they do a great job of offering it for free on YouTube for a couple of hours and then trying to convert those viewers into subs. They're well within their rights to charge for a service they provide.”
It was also pointed out that the Main Event was actually free to watch between 20111 to 2017 and there wasn’t even a hint of a poker boom during those years.
For now, we can expect things to stay exactly as they are but PokerGO will have been keeping an eye on this discussion, for sure.
