Poker Central’s 2017 World Series of Poker coverage, under the terms of its new deal with WSOP (see previous report), began airing from 3 June to 17 July and will continue from 20-22 July on ESPN and Poker Central’s recently-launched poker subscription service, PokerGO.
Coverage of the 2017 WSOP Main Event on ESPN will see Lon McEachern and Norman Chad serve as play-by-play analyst and color commentary, respectively. They will be “flanked by a mix of poker’s greatest players and broadcasters, including Daniel Negreanu, Kara Scott, Antonio Esfandiari and Joe Stapleton”, Poker Central said. “Ali Nejad and Nick Schulman will lead the livestream.”
“We’re looking forward to having some of the industry’s best broadcasting talent cover the most thrilling poker action of the year,” commented JR McCabe, chief digital officer of Poker Central. “Our team, spanning both ESPN and PokerGO, will bring the WSOP viewing experience to life for millions of people tuning in across the world.”
ESPN will telecast 40 hours of live WSOP Main Event coverage each July, plus original packaged shows totaling 130 hours annually. WSOP coverage not aired by ESPN will be streamed exclusively through PokerGO.
“This marks the first-time ESPN will air same-day coverage of the WSOP from day one of the Main Event to the conclusion of the final table, a model that will continue through 2020.”
“This year’s WSOP will deliver the most live broadcast coverage ever with ESPN and Poker Central’s commitment to premier poker,” Ty Stewart, executive director, WSOP, added. “We can’t wait to provide the new storylines, surprises and amazing moments of the WSOP with the help from our talented broadcast teams.”