The first ESPN viewing figures for the WSOP Main Event show

The first US TV ratings for the edited World Series of Poker highlight show are in, and they are not particularly ground-breaking.

We brought you the news last week that almost 400 million views were logged across the main social media channels by the World Series of Poker, which included almost 230,000 new followers. 

These are not unique viewers. There is some overlap involved because it was the same product across multiple platforms like Facebook and YouTube. 

Now the first TV ratings have been released for the initial broadcasts of the World Series of Poker Main Event show, and they do not look anywhere near as optimistic.

According to the estimates, 173,000 people viewed the first show on Tuesday night, with 186,000 people viewing the second broadcast an hour later. 

Beaten by reruns

These may sound good, but it does make them the 119th most-watched thing on television in the United States that day. 

In contrast, Jesse Watters' Prime Time on Fox News got almost three million views. The WSOP broadcast was beaten by Family Guy, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Big Bang Theory reruns. 

It's probably not fair to expect such grandiose things from the first airing of the World Series of Poker in quite some time. Since it was last on ESPN, viewing habits have changed dramatically, and very few shows get seven-figure viewing figures. It's also certainly going to be the sort of thing that gathers momentum too. It will be fascinating to see how much greater the Main Event final table broadcasts are, for example. 

However, this is yet another argument for the case that perhaps what the World Series of Poker really needs is a free-for-all broadcast on YouTube rather than a mainstream but still paywalled broadcast partner.