The 888.com Goes Global
The world gathered yesterday to watch the opening day of the 888.com World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
Snooker is becoming increasingly popular internationally, and this year the tournament will be broadcast to numerous Countries around the globe. Snooker fans will be able to witness the action thanks to the host, the BBC. Eurosport will also be contributing to the broadcast by covering (Europe/Middle-East/North Africa), Showtime Arabia (Middle-East), CCTV (China), Now TV (Hong Kong/Macau) and Cineplex (Thailand).
Adam Kelly, the Marketing Director of IMG media said…
‘Snooker is being seen by an even wider audience and this growth is set to continue for years to come. IMG Media takes great pride in the role it plays in developing this growth, alongside World Snooker.’
During last years tournament, the BBC generated 138 hours of coverage and reached over 27 million viewers in the UK, whilst Eurosport provided144 hours and reached a staggering 57 million people.
It is due to media attention that the sport is increasing in popularity and on an International scale. This year Journalists from China, Latvia, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Germany and Denmark all will be reporting and contributing to the worldwide circulation of snooker and using the 888.com World Championship as a catalyst for the future of the sport.
Another reason why the sport is becoming more internationally fascinating is because of some of the players. Some of the competitors are from the Far-East such as Ding Junhui, Liang Wenbo, Liu Chang from Mainland and Marco Fu from Hong Kong. All the players hope to become the only non-British apart from Cliff Thorburn to lift the famous trophy. Thorburn, from Canada will be present backstage to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his 147 break in 1983 – The first maximum break to be made in the Championship.
The Crucible is currently undergoing a £15.3 million renovation project but will still remain the main host to snooker’s pride tournament. The 888.com World Snooker Championship runs from April 19th – May 5th and fans can watch the action by tuning in to the BBC or Eurosport for coverage of some of the worlds class cue players such as defending champ John Higgins, Ronnie O’ Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, Mark Selby and Steve Davis, to name a few. All players will be competing for the title of World Champion and top prize money of £250,000.
888.com, one of the leading online casino and poker rooms, has a deal with World Snooker to sponsor the World Snooker Championship – and in addition, is associate sponsor of the Grand Prix, UK Championship and The Masters.
888.com has individual sponsorship with current 888.com World Snooker Champion John Higgins and Ronnie O’ Sullivan.
www.888snooker.com offers exclusive snooker content, competitions, and the latest odds for the 888.com World Snooker Championship.
888sport, 888.com’s new sport betting service, will be on display at the Crucible throughout the 888.com World Snooker Championship, allowing visitors to view the latest odds and go online throughout the tournament. Further information and odds can be found at 888snooker.com