Home / Poker News August 2009 / ESPN and WSOP: 7 More Years
ESPN and WSOP: 7 More Years
Posted by: James Carter. - Tue, 2009-08-18 22:50
As ESPN coverage of the 2009 WSOP airs to great excitement, news of a new 7 year contract between the cable channel and the poker series emerge.
Reliable sources in the field are announcing that the World Series of Poker and ESPN have signed a new agreement which will grant the broadcasting rights of the poker series to ESPN for a further seven years. The current deal, under which the WSOP 2009 has been aired over the past few weeks, will run out following the 2010 World Series of Poker; the new deal will mean broadcasting rights until 2018.
ESPN has been airing the 2009 World Series of Poker over the past few weeks, including the $40,000 40th Anniversary Tournament, the WSOP Champions Invitational, the Ante Up for Africa event and tonight will begin the coverage of the Main Event.
Whilst interest in poker is at an all time high, so far this reality has not been reflected in the viewing numbers. In fact, amidst heated debate over the ESPN coverage of the event, the numbers are down 8% on last year. None-the-less the excitement over the cable channel's portrayal of the play and the players is palpable, and the inclusion of Phil Ivey of Full Tilt Poker in the final 9 has no doubt added to this atmosphere. The Coordinating Producer for ESPN, Jamie Horowitz, recently commented:
“This is the most excited I’ve ever been for a season of the World Series of Poker…It’s long
been discussed in poker, could a pro ever win the main event [again]? Having Phil Ivey
as part of our November Nine has just added a new level of interest in poker, not just on the
blogs but even within ESPN … There is just an elevated sense of excitement for this season.”
We couldn't agree more!
