Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
As snooker fans, we love the World Championship format but will it attract future generations to watch and become lifelong fans or players?
There's a huge concern that the sport is struggling in the United Kingdom and although TV viewing figures are still fairly strong, how long will this last for in this current day and age where other sports are constantly evolving in a highly competitive market?
The current World Championship at the Crucible lasts longer than the Olympics but there are only 31 matches and some of them take three days to complete.
If snooker was invented today, nobody would think this is a good idea to grow the sport and get youngsters into it, but tradition and history is always hard to break away from.
And you could argue that even if the tournament was shortened, is that really the answer to attract new fans? Or are there other issues that need to be modernised first such as dress code and other rules to speed up play.
Then there's the concerns of player burnout at the end of a long, hard season packed with tournaments. Does this format allow the highest quality snooker to be produced by the best players on the planet?
And what about the time of year? Should it be in the middle of the season when players are operating at the peak of their powers - or do we have to stick with April/May just because of tradition?
We asked the thoughts of Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Barry Hawkins and they'll all give you some very fascinating food for thought...
0:00 Is the World Championship format too long drawn out?
05:30 Should the World Championship be held in the middle of the season?
As snooker fans, we love the World Championship format but will it attract future generations to watch and become lifelong fans or players?
There's a huge concern that the sport is struggling in the United Kingdom and although TV viewing figures are still fairly strong, how long will this last for in this current day and age where other sports are constantly evolving in a highly competitive market?
The current World Championship at the Crucible lasts longer than the Olympics but there are only 31 matches and some of them take three days to complete.
If snooker was invented today, nobody would think this is a good idea to grow the sport and get youngsters into it, but tradition and history is always hard to break away from.
And you could argue that even if the tournament was shortened, is that really the answer to attract new fans? Or are there other issues that need to be modernised first such as dress code and other rules to speed up play.
Then there's the concerns of player burnout at the end of a long, hard season packed with tournaments. Does this format allow the highest quality snooker to be produced by the best players on the planet?
And what about the time of year? Should it be in the middle of the season when players are operating at the peak of their powers - or do we have to stick with April/May just because of tradition?
We asked the thoughts of Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Barry Hawkins and they'll all give you some very fascinating food for thought...
0:00 Is the World Championship format too long drawn out?
05:30 Should the World Championship be held in the middle of the season?
