Ronnie O’Sullivan is co-launching a brand-new, dedicated snooker TV channel, Pluto Snooker 900, which will broadcast 18 hours of live coverage a week and champion a fast-paced format designed to attract new players and audiences.
The seven-time World Champion, who has increasingly become involved in ventures off the table, is spearheading the channel set to launch on Monday, October 6.
The core of the new channel will be the Snooker 900 format, which was created three years ago by Jason Francis, the founder of the World Snooker Seniors Tour.
O’Sullivan, a 10-time winner of the shot-clock featuring Premier League, is a major proponent of the fast-paced style:
Format Details: The game is played over a strict 15-minute period (900 seconds), with a 20-second shot clock enforced. Any ties are settled with a blue-ball shootout.
O’Sullivan’s Motivation: “I’ve always liked the short format,” O’Sullivan explained. “The frames don’t drag on forever.” He compared it to football, where “90 minutes and you’re done,” contrasting it with traditional snooker matches that can last six hours.
Grassroots Impact: O’Sullivan hopes the format will “give aspirations to young players” and amateurs by offering prize money and bringing “grassroots snooker back to the UK, where it’s desperately needed.”
The Pluto Snooker 900 channel, which will also feature classic matches, is set to include other snooker legends in its launch week, including Jimmy White and Ken Doherty. The channel is also committed to showing games between women, juniors, and disabled players.
Despite the rise of young talent like China’s World Champion Zhao Xintong and British sensation Stan Moody, O’Sullivan remains cautious about how quickly the older generation will cede control of the rankings.
Dominance Continues: O’Sullivan noted that while strong depth exists, “it’s still the 50-year-old’s, and lower 40-year-olds, that are dominating the rankings.”
Still Bashing Them Up: The 48-year-old jokingly predicted, “I think I’ll still be bashing them up for the next 10 years.”
Backing Youth: O’Sullivan did, however, praise the maturing game of 19-year-old Stan Moody, calling him “a great cueist” who is showing promise with recent strong results against top players.