CBS Sports has reached a multi-year rights agreement with PokerGO to become the new television partner for the World Series of Poker Main Event and various WSOP Bracelet Events. Starting in 2021, CBS Sports Network will be the official television home of the WSOP.
The network will broadcast 15 hours of WSOP Main Event coverage and 36 additional hours of 18 different Gold Bracelet poker events.
"Following our past success with PokerGO, we are excited to expand our relationship with the highest-profile and richest event in competitive tournament poker featuring the best players in the world," CBS Sports Executive Vice President of Programming Dan Weinberg said in a press release. "This deal fits perfectly in our strategy to combine best-in-class events with our CBS Sports brand."
There certainly is history between CBS Sports and the poker world. CBS Sports was the first network to broadcast WSOP Main Event on its "CBS Sports Spectacular" program throughout the mid-1970s.
"CBS Sports has long been a pioneer in covering a broad range of championship sports," WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart added. "We couldn't be more excited to see increased television coverage of the WSOP in the coming years and benefit from their growing media platforms."
Additional details will be revealed in the future when the full WSOP schedule is released.
Throughout WSOP history, over $3.29 billion in prize money has been handed out. It's also the longest-running poker tournament in the world, which began in 1970.
"The WSOP is one of the strongest brands in sports media out there," Weinberg told CBS Sports. "It's a championship event that has a high-profile roster of participants, which is something that we always look for. It's the biggest and most notable events in poker circles whether it's professional or amateur. The prestige is huge. It's a scene in of itself in the city of Las Vegas."
