New Poker Network Debuts on UK TV

The United Kingdom was introduced to its second all-poker, all-the-time channel today with the launch of pokerzone on Sky’s digital television lineup. The Poker Channel, which recently aired live coverage of the British Poker Open, was the first entrant into the poker television space, debuting in March 2005.

pokerzone (yes, pokerzone is all lowercase letters) bills itself as a channel dedicated to the poker lifestyle, with more than just taped tournaments for its audience. Some examples of the channel’s typical offerings are poker-related movies and insider documentaries of various aspects of the poker world.

One unique show that could be very interesting if done right is “Poker Night Live”, where two experts, “Dr.” Tom and Greg “The Axxeman” Winters analyze the play during four “live” online games, all while being able to see the cards of every player at the table. The show will air every night from 9:30pm to 2:30am, local time.

To celebrate the launch in style, pokerzone will lead into “Poker Night Live” with an exclusive broadcast of the Monte Carlo Millions tournament, sponsored by the Prima Poker Network.

The Axxeman, for one, can’t wait to get going.

"British poker is going crazy," said The Axxeman. "The poker boom is massive and television is the next step in this phenomenon. Poker programming already attracts more than 1.3 million viewers a night - and pokerzone is set to be that audience's primary destination."

Jim Sibcy, Managing Director of pokerzone said, "Being a part of this launch is an exhilarating experience. The number of internationally renowned British poker players has rocketed over the last year and we are very lucky to be working with them all."