Sport1 kicks poker out of the program

As reported by BILD.de, the poker partner of the German-language TV channel Sport1 is reportedly no longer permitted to broadcast poker programs. But what are the reasons for the TV channel, which was created in 2010 from the merger of Sport1.de and Deutsches Sportsehen (DSF), to completely remove poker from its program?

The Turkish company Acunmedya has only been in charge of the German TV channel Sport1 since the end of last year. Although the poker partner GGPoker has a valid and ongoing contract with the TV station, the broadcasts of poker programs are no longer desired with immediate effect. This is despite the fact that Sport1 has established itself as the poker channel on German television in recent years. Back in the fall of 2022, we at GambleJoe asked ourselves whether Sport1 wanted to open an online betting provider. To date, however, no betting offer is available here.

The end of Sport1 Poker?

BILD.de was the first to report on Wednesday that Sport1 was dropping poker from its program. Furthermore, the editorial team of BILD.de received an internal e-mail with the following content:

"This decision is in line with our priority to grow the audience for our entertainment content and supports the long-term vision of the channel. However, in order to prioritize our entertainment content, the time slot between 4pm and 1am will continue to be dedicated to entertainment programming, with the exception of darts, and not gambling-related content, which should take place after 1am."

The fact is: Sport1 wanted to push the poker program into the unattractive night time. For the poker partner GGPoker, however, a broadcasting time from 1 a.m. at night makes no sense, so that poker has now been completely removed from Sport1's program.

Sport1 has to forgo a considerable amount of money as a result of this step. Specifically, the Munich-based broadcaster could have received a further 3.5 million euros by the summer alone. However, since those responsible have now preferred to ban poker from the program, a lot of money is missing and Sport1 has parted with 50 employees.

The Turkish media company Acunmedya has been in charge of Sport1 since November 2024. The company is said to be close to Turkish President Recep Erdogan. There have already been numerous visible changes since the takeover. For example, the TV program has already been restructured with the adventure show "Exation" and the fashion show "My Style Rocks".

Sport1 commented on the changes as follows when asked by BILD.de:

"It is correct that we are not planning any poker formats on our free TV channel Sport1 in the new year until further notice (...). Sport1's program includes established beacons such as soccer, darts and Germany's most popular soccer talk show "Doppelpass" (...).

Poker continues to enjoy great international popularity outside of Sport1. As recently as last November, we reported on the global expansion plans of the World Series of Poker.

Is online poker legally available in Germany?

The official whitelist of the Joint Gaming Authority of the Federal States (GGL) currently contains five entries in the category "online poker". The first license for online poker was awarded to Entain plc at the end of November 2022.

The following companies are now legally permitted to offer online poker in Germany

1. Bwin (Deutschland) Limited (bwin.de)
2. Ladbrokes (Germany) Limited (partypoker.de)
3. NSUS Malta Limited (ggpoker.de)
4. Reel Germany Limited (pokerstars.de)
5. 888 Germany Limited (888.de)

Conclusion

The Turkish media company Acunmedya has ensured that poker is no longer part of Sport1's TV program with immediate effect. It will be interesting to see whether the alternative programs and content will be as successful as the poker programs of its partner GGPoker once were.

Source of the image: https://pixabay.com/de/illustrations/kasino-poker-spiele-entwurf-7260767/