Heads Up with Remko – JR McCabe

During the 2018 World Series of Poker Main Event, Chief Digital Officer JR McCabe sat down with Remko Rinkema to talk about everything you ever wanted to know about PokerGO, the live streaming, the ESPN deal, Super High Roller Bowl and how the PokerGO Studio was created.

• 3:03 – The start of the interview with JR McCabe, his World Series of Poker excitement, doing a job he loves, seeing it all come together in Las Vegas, seeing the growth potential of the game and what goes into it on the production side.
• 5:55 – Seeing the World Series of Poker through the eye of JR McCabe, someone who comes from the finance and marketing world, and whether or not the increased numbers in the WSOP Main Event over the last two years can be attributed to PokerGO and ESPN live coverage.
• 9:08 – The birth of the idea of PokerGO, and the goals and vision behind the platform.
• 14:38 – Looking back on the five months leading up to the launch of PokerGO prior to the 2017 Super High Roller Bowl and World Series of Poker.
• 17:00 – How PokerGO got a seat at the table to bring in the World Series of Poker.
• 19:00 – The end of the November Nine era, broadcasting the WSOP Main Event live on ESPN and PokerGO in the summer, and bringing in mainstream sponsors to poker.
• 25:30 – Creating the WSOP Main Event product for ESPN in combination with live broadcasts in the summer and the NBC Sports hours of Poker Masters, U.S. Poker Open and Super High Roller Bowl.
• 30:25 – Creating new events such as the Poker Masters and U.S. Poker Open.
• 33:25 – Jr McCabe speaks on interacting with the top players in poker, dealing with criticism from fans and players and helping to bring an understanding of PokerGO looking to expand the game of poker and the number of hours that are being streamed live and shown on TV.
• 40:10 – The idea and realization of the PokerGO Studio at the ARIA Resort & Casino.
• 47:25 – How the PokerGO Studio will be utilized aside from the marquee poker events and the creation of original content.
• 52:06 – JR McCabe’s favorite pieces of original programming on PokerGO and looking ahead at what’s to come.
• 55:45 – The New York connection, JR McCabe speaks on his sports fandom, adopting the Las Vegas Golden Knights and diving back into the beginnings of his professional career.
• 1:01:40 – Lessons JR McCabe has learned from years of working in the content business that he can transfer to the world of poker.
• 1:04:16 – Moving from a big global brand to the poker industry to build something brand new.
• 1:06:15 – Live sports and poker on TV in the era in which TV subscribership is going down.
• 1:08:00 – Speaking on panels, talking to non-poker people about the game, sponsorships, commercial opportunities and the subscription model.
• 1:11:45 – How important are marquee poker players for the success of live streams and poker on TV?

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