London, UK. July 10th, 2006:
PLAYER, the hot new competition-based channel in the United Kingdom, has announced plans to broadcast International Pool Tour events and programming. The channel, which is available on the UK's popular Sky Digital satellite service and Telewest cable, is seen in over 14 million UK households. The channel is owned by Flextech, a major broadcasting group in Europe.
PLAYER was launched as a companion channel to Flextech's popular Bravo channel. It has attracted significant viewing audiences and media attention for its unique mix of top flight international soccer to premier poker championships to the adrenaline-soaked worlds of boxing and high-class motorsports. The channel will launch high-octane IPT programming this fall with the "North American Open 8-Ball Championship" highlight series, featuring UK cue sport stars such as Ronnie O'Sullivan and Jimmy White. The IPT's "King of the Hill 8-Ball Shootout" series will also premiere on PLAYER.
"We are excited to be bringing the International Pool Tour shows to the UK," said David Clarke, Channel Editor for Bravo and Player. "The players, the millions in prize money and the high-stakes, high-impact competition give the IPT's style of 8-Ball real edge and excitement. The IPT is unlike any other cue sport, including snooker. We believe UK viewers will love it and believe it will create huge interest around the sport of pool."
The PLAYER channel now joins British Eurosport in providing unprecedented coverage of the International Pool Tour in the United Kingdom.
