From the flaks at ESPN:
POKER’S PREMIERE EVENT ENJOYS SIGNIFICANT AUDIENCE INCREASE ON ESPN
As Denmark’s Peter Eastgate became the youngest champion ever in front of a packed house in Las Vegas, nearly 2.4 million viewers were tuned into ESPN’s groundbreaking same-day coverage of the World Series of Poker, presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light on Tuesday, November 11.
The telecast earned a 1.9 rating, up 46% from 1.3 for the final showdown in 2007, and represents 1,905,000 homes and 2,364,000 viewers in the average minute. Those are increases of 53% in homes (from 1,249,000) and 52% among viewers (from 1,552,000).
For the 2008 season’s schedule of 32 shows, averages were 0.9 rating, 919,000 homes and 1,126,000 people, up 13% among homes (from 815,000) and 15% among viewers (from 981,000).
Eastgate, 22, of Odense, Denmark, shattered Phil Hellmuth\’s record as youngest champion of the no-limit Texas Hold \’em tournament by two years. Hellmuth was 24 when he won in 1989.
ADDENDUM: Commish Jeffrey P\’s bloggage on the overall success.
