Why is snooker still watched on Irish TV?
Compared to soccer or basketball, snooker seems too slow and even somewhat uninteresting. Yet it remains popular, has a loyal following, and is broadcast on Irish and British television. And people are watching these broadcasts. In this article, we explore the main reasons for the sport’s popularity and its continued ability to attract new audiences.
Deep roots in Irish and British culture
In Ireland and the UK, snooker has a very long tradition. This is due to two key factors: the game’s British origins, its popularity almost immediately after its emergence, and broadcasts on BBC Sport.
Decades of broadcasts
Snooker has been broadcast on television for quite some time. In the UK, it first appeared on BBC Sport in 1969 and has been a regular feature ever since. Snooker in Ireland began airing a little later, thanks to RTÉ, and these were mostly rebroadcasts of BBC events. In any case, over the course of nearly 60 years, snooker on TV has become a familiar sight; it is now taken for granted. And the Irish enjoy watching the game.
Generations of fans who grew up with the game
As early as the 1920s—just a few decades after its inception—tournaments were already being held, albeit on a local scale. But by 1926, the World Championship had been organized. Naturally, such large-scale events captured the attention of people in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the Dominions—they were, after all, the main participants in the tournaments. In the more than 100 years since snooker’s emergence, several generations have grown up for whom it is an integral part of sports.
A unique atmosphere
Snooker differs greatly from other sports in terms of atmosphere. From the outside, it seems very calm, almost emotionless. Those in the know understand that behind the outward composure, there is sometimes an incredible intensity of passion.
Moderate intensity and concentration
In professional tournaments, you can find something that is absent in other sports: outward calm, moderate intensity, and the players’ concentration. You won’t find this in soccer, hockey, cricket, or tennis. And it is this characteristic that many fans love about snooker, as it is a measured, slow-paced game that appeals to a certain type of person.
The appeal of tactics and precision
Whether you want to play at a professional level or just for fun, two things are essential. The first is technique. Simply put, a player must strike the ball accurately, be able to pot it, and execute shots that set the right number of balls in motion and send them rolling in the desired direction. The second thing is tactics. A snooker player must think strategically: it’s not enough to simply pot a ball—you need to set up the next shot, figure out your position, and plan your moves several turns ahead.
It is this combination of technique and precision that attracts fans who do not care for sports where the emphasis is primarily on athletes’ physical attributes and conditioning.
Legendary snooker players
Legendary British and Irish players, who demonstrated incredible skill and strategy, helped cement snooker’s popularity. And then there are the memorable matches that have gone down in history and become part of sporting lore.
Snooker icons: Ronnie O’Sullivan, Jimmy White, Dennis Taylor, and others
In fact, dozens of players have become icons of the sport and been inducted into the WPBSA Snooker Hall of Fame—a topic worthy of a separate, in-depth article. So here, we’ll limit ourselves to four athletes.
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Many experts consider this athlete to be the best snooker player in history. There is every reason for this: O’Sullivan has won the World Championship title 7 times, won the Snooker Premier League 10 times, and claimed the UK Snooker Championship and The Masters—earning him the Triple Crown. Statistically, he wins 75% of his matches. There are several reasons for this success:
speed—O’Sullivan makes decisions almost instantly, earning him the nickname “The Rocket”;
the ability to build breaks—the player regularly scores breaks of over 100 points;
two-handed play—Ronnie plays with both his right and left hands, a skill few can boast of, which increases his range of play.
It is also worth noting that O’Sullivan has gained recognition not only among professionals but also among fans: hundreds of thousands of people from Ireland, England, Australia, and other countries follow his matches. Among Ronnie’s fans are celebrities such as Ronald Wood of The Rolling Stones
Jimmy White
Englishman Jimmy White has won more than 30 professional snooker tournaments and reached the World Championship final six times. However, he has never managed to win the title. That, however, did not prevent him from being inducted into the WPBSA Hall of Fame and ranking among the top 20 snooker players in the world.
Like O’Sullivan, White plays very fast and prefers an attacking style. He is one of the few snooker players who can execute shots with strong spin while still controlling the ball’s trajectory. For this style, Jimmy earned the nickname “The Whirlwind.”
Dennis Taylor
This Northern Ireland Snooker player’s style differs greatly from that of the previous two players we discussed. He emphasizes patience, precision, and mental resilience. Taylor never rushed his shots—before taking a shot, he carefully planned his position, assessed the risks, and anticipated potential mistakes. At the same time, Dennis has excellent technique. He played safe exchanges, forced his opponents into mistakes, and played out long frames with a focus on strategy. It was fascinating to watch him play.
Dennis Taylor won the 1985 World Championship. His victory is notable because no one considered him the favorite: he was ranked 11th in the official rankings, while his opponent was ranked 1st. Following this resounding victory, Taylor went on to win several tournaments: the 1987 Masters, the 1987 Irish Professional Championship, the 1998 World Snooker Trickshot Championship, and others. He has since retired and now commentates on snooker matches for the BBC.
Ken Doherty
From 1993 to 2008, Irishman Ken Doherty was ranked among the world’s top 16 snooker players. He is the only player to have won the world championship in three different categories: junior, amateur, and professional. He was inducted into the WPBSA Hall of Fame in 2013.
Doherty’s playing style prioritizes tactics. He focuses on attentiveness, calculating his own moves and his opponent’s actions, rather than on quick attacks. As a result, he forces his opponent into making mistakes. That said, Ken doesn’t shy away from attacks either, but he only executes them when he is confident in their outcome.
Historic matches that have become part of sports lore
Irish fans love snooker for its iconic, memorable matches. Here are a few:
The 1984 World Championship Final. In this match, Steve Davis defeated John Spencer 18–16. In this match, Davis showcased his signature playing style in all its glory: slow, thoughtful, meticulously calculating every shot to secure a strategic advantage. He also demonstrated superb technique, potting balls with incredible precision. His thoughtful style and technical skill would become his hallmarks throughout his professional career.
The 1985 World Championship final. In that match, Dennis Taylor defeated Steve Davis, who was ranked number one in the official rankings. Early in the match, Taylor was trailing 0–8, but ultimately won 18–17. The final frame came down to the black ball—it became one of the most memorable moments in the history of snooker. The match was broadcast on the BBC.
The 2006 World Championship Final. In this match, Ronnie O’Sullivan defeated Graeme Dott 18–14. The match was memorable for O’Sullivan’s unusual playing style: the player hardly thought before taking a shot, playing either on intuition or instinct, and outplayed his opponent. Subsequently, other professional snooker players from Ireland and the UK began to display this same lightning-fast style.
Of course, this is only a small fraction of the truly memorable, iconic matches that were broadcast on television. If we were to list them all, there would be dozens—it’s impossible to cover them all in this article; that’s a topic for a separate piece. But even these standout examples are enough to illustrate one of the reasons for snooker’s popularity in Ireland.
Dramatic, high-stakes matches—perfect for television
People in Ireland watch snooker because it’s exciting. But what makes it so exciting? Largely the dramatic matches, on whose outcomes so much depends. That’s exactly what many competitions in the 1980s and 1990s became.
Tense, frame-by-frame dramatic comebacks
We’ve already mentioned the most striking example of a tense match with a truly dramatic comeback twice—the 1985 World Championship final, where Dennis Taylor was initially trailing Steve Davis 0–8, but then rallied and finished the match with a narrow 18–17 victory, thereby claiming the title. And in fact, there have been quite a few such matches. Take the match between Joe Johnson and Steve Davis, in which the underdog Johnson, ranked 150th in the official rankings, won 18–12.
Major tournaments remain the center of attention for viewers
Major tournaments like the World Championship remain the center of attention for viewers. There are two main reasons for this. The first is the desire to watch real pros play—the strongest snooker players who have made it to the top competitions—which is sure to be a great spectacle. And the second reason is the desire to know who will win the tournament prize, since there are substantial sums at stake.
Challenges facing snooker’s popularity on television
Although snooker remains popular in Ireland, it is gradually being pushed out of the TV spotlight—the sport faces serious competition. However, the issue isn’t just about the competition; it’s also about changes in media distribution formats, making the problem more complex.
Competition from more dynamic modern sports
Snooker isn’t exactly what you’d call a fast-paced sport. It requires concentration at the table, close observation of the players’ moves, and a deep understanding of tactics. A younger audience is turning away from it and showing interest in more dynamic sports with simpler rules. This is primarily soccer, but basketball, hockey, and cricket are also attracting attention.
Shift in viewing platforms
Recently, snooker has been moving away from TV to online platforms. This is understandable: most media is now distributed online, and fewer and fewer people are watching TV. But there is another reason—some people are now giving up TV to avoid paying the €160 TV license fee, keeping only devices at home that cannot receive a TV signal but are capable of streaming video from the Internet.
Why snooker continues to find an audience
Despite the challenges, snooker continues to find its audience, even if it’s not as massive as it was 20–30 years ago. Let’s break down why this is happening.
Nostalgia and traditions among longtime fans
The core of the snooker audience consists of people aged 35–45 who became passionate about the sport back when the Internet and streaming weren’t as widespread. In essence, they are the ones driving the main activity among fans. It is precisely this segment of the audience, driven by nostalgia and tradition, that makes up the majority of viewers of snooker events on television (and beyond).
An influx of “new blood” thanks to global tournaments
The ranks of snooker fans are regularly replenished with “new blood.” This is mainly due to major, high-profile tournaments that receive extensive coverage in the media, on sports-focused online platforms, and at bookmakers, such as the World Snooker Championship. Of course, the influx of viewers here isn’t as massive as in soccer, for example, but it exists and is steady. And since the number of fans remains at a sufficient level, the sport will maintain its position and tournaments will continue to be held. After all, by and large, these tournaments are organized precisely for the fans—if no one watches snooker, then no one will play it at this level either.
