The LIVE finale of “The Contender” Season 2 on ESPN in 2006, airing in a later time slot (10pm-midnight Eastern), drew more households and more viewers then the 2006 WSOP Main Event taped 2-hour show airing just before “The Contender” finale.

The “Mark Burnett” way of building up a TV audience for the live final battle between two previous unknowns has worked, not only with “Survivor”, but also with “The Apprentice”, and to a lesser extent, “The Contender”.

That percentage will probably be closer to 85-90%, but if I were putting money on it, I’d only commit to 75% of the naysayers coming around within two years.

Personally, I doubt it will happen this year, but I’m excited to think that they’re seriously discussing it. I’d love to see it this year, but I don’t think it’ll happen until 2009.

While my comments here and at 2+2 ramble and argue in an unfocused way, I might be writing something clear and focused on this topic with Pauly soon on Tao of Poker.

The ways things are going with viewership demographics and TV ratings for poker, the switch to a live televised heads-up match to conclude the WSOP ME may be the ONLY way players will attract logo sponsorships from product categories that target young viewers, i.e. caffenated beverages, beer, and even play-for-free online poker websites.

The Super Bowl takes off two weeks … It’s already April 7 and we haven’t finished March Madness yet …

This is would be more comparable, however, to the last episode each season of Survivor or The Apprentice.

Because more money in the poker economy is good for all of us, whether players, media, TV producers, or whatever.

Not that I don’t agree that 3 months is a bit much.

This is such a non-issue to me … I’m sure there were guys in the old days who didn’t like it when the main event took more than one day and players were allowed to go home and sleep.

It’s not like I’m going to walk around the WSOP with a picket sign; I’m not super opposed to the idea. However, I have lots of concerns about the integrity of the game, the momentum of the players and other interested parties that might be squashed, and the players – there will probably be at least one or two – who get left out of the talk show/sponsorship/professional poker training mix for one reason or another.

I simply think there are other ways to do this, even with the delay of a week or two. I still feel that 90 days (it’s closer to 120 days, frankly) is just a loony idea.

And I’ll say this will Oliver-type dramatic overtones: They better announce it quick. The start of the WSOP is less than 2 months away. To set the final table for some random date in November, let’s say, the powers-that-be better announce it ASAP, not only for the players’ sakes, but for the media and everyone else involved as well. But as of today, Harrah’s official statement is one of denial. They say rumors are rumors, and the dates of the WSOP stand as originally released.

As for the rest of us?

I suppose I could be convinced, but I still can’t quite figure why the idea to delay the finale three months should excite current poker/WSOP fans . . . .