After having already announced the World Open and a return for ranking snooker to Berlin in Germany, Barry Hearn the Chairman of the WPBSA, is  not resting on his laurels. The latest event to be announced by the Matchroom supremo is the World Snooker Shootout.

The tournament scheduled for 28th-30th January 2011 will be shown live on Sky Sports, the first time a World Snooker event will have been shown on the subscription platform since 2004.

The event will feature 64 of the world’s best players in a very quick-fire, fast-paced and exhilirating format. The players will be drawn at random with no seeding to play a one-frame shootout. That frame will have a shot clock of just 20 seconds with no time outs. The frames also should last no longer than 12 minutes in the format that has been developed.

Hearn told Skysports.com “It will be snooker at full throttle, testing the players to the limits of what they can do under pressure,” he said.“They will have to make quick decisions and show their natural ability and plenty of bottle – with the chance to double their money for every game they win.

“The champion will walk off with £32,000, which is not bad for a long weekend. There will be a very lively atmosphere so it might not be one for the purists, but we want to appeal to new and younger audiences and this is the perfect format to trial.

“I’m delighted to bring Sky on board for this one because I have every confidence that under producer Rory Hopkins’ production team, the coverage will be both original and innovative.

“The format fits perfectly for Sky, with non-stop breathtaking action which will keep viewers and the live audience on the edge of their seats. I’m in discussion with several sponsors and I fully believe that this event will be a massive success.”

Venue and ticketing information are yet to be announced but could this event be a way of making snooker have the increased appeal that Darts has over the last 5 years?

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