Poker Central and ESPN Unveil 2018 World Series of Poker Live Broadcast Schedule

(Las Vegas, NV – February 15, 2018) – Poker Central and ESPN released their preliminary live coverage schedule for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, which will air start to finish everyday coverage from July 2^nd – July 14^th. On top of its daily WSOP Main Event coverage, ESPN will broadcast the “Big One for One Drop” July 16-17 – a $1,000,000 buy-in tournament that takes place every other year. In addition to ESPN’s coverage of the WSOP Main Event and Big One for One Drop, PokerGO will offer exclusive WSOP Main Event coverage that is not broadcast during ESPN windows while coverage aired on ESPN will not air on PokerGO. The full PokerGO WSOP streaming schedule will be announced at a later time.

“Last year, both ESPN viewership and PokerGO subscription numbers were very strong throughout the WSOP Main Event,” said JR McCabe, chief digital officer of Poker Central. “This year, we’re doubling down on live coverage of the World Series of Poker by adding the Big One for One Drop and bringing even more live poker to fans worldwide.”

“ESPN has a long-running relationship with the World Series of Poker, and we are always looking for ways to bring viewers the most preeminent coverage,” said Doug White, ESPN senior director, Programming & Acquisitions. “By doubling down on our broadcast and digital platform coverage, we’re going to bring fans and viewers even closer to the sport’s biggest events from all aspects and angles.”

In this year’s partnership between ESPN and Poker Central, ESPN will telecast at least 40 hours of live WSOP coverage, plus an additional 130 hours of originally produced episodes. ESPN comprehensive broadcast of the WSOP will continue through 2020.

“We’re ecstatic that ESPN and Poker Central continue to raise the bar and deliver more live poker content to audiences across the globe,” said Ty Stewart, executive director, World Series of Poker. “Fans today demand immediacy and wall-to-wall coverage and this year’s offering delivers on that in spades.”

The planned broadcast schedule of the WSOP Main Event and Big One for One Drop on ESPN/ESPN2 is as follows:

*The scheduling including dates, times, and specific events is subject to change. All events will be streamed on a 30-minute delay with hole cards shown per gaming regulations.

About Poker Central®

Poker Central is the ultimate destination for fans of poker tournaments, cash games, and lifestyle away from the tables. Poker Central delivers poker’s most premier live events around the world via PokerGO, its direct-to-consumer OTT subscription service, as well as through network television distribution. PokerGO delivers over 100 days of live poker on an annual basis alongside a video-on-demand library that features original series and classic poker programming. Streaming and televised tournaments include its owned tournaments, such as Super High Roller Bowl and Poker Masters, along with The World Series of Poker, ARIA High Roller Series, and WPT final tables, among others. For more information, visit www.pokercentral.com and www.pokergo.com.

About the World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker® is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world, having awarded more than $2.6 billion in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest-running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970.  In 2017, the event attracted 120,995 entrants from 111 different countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and awarded more than $231 million in prize money. In addition, the WSOP has formed groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand internationally with the advent of the World Series of Poker Europe in 2007 and the World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific in 2013 and the WSOP International Circuit Series in 2015. For more information on the World Series of Poker, please visit www.wsop.com.

About ESPN

ESPN, Inc., is the world’s leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company featuring a portfolio of more than 50 multimedia sports assets. The company is comprised of eight U.S. 24-hour television networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes, Longhorn Network and the SEC Network) and five HD simulcast services (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS and ESPN Deportes). Other businesses include ESPN Events, ESPN International (24 networks, syndication, radio, digital), ESPN Radio (broadcast, satellite, digital, a growing category led by ScoreCenter), digital services (ESPN.com plus a variety of sport-, college-, and market-specific sites; multi-screen WatchESPN and ESPN3; plus mobile TV and video, apps, alerts and messaging), ESPN The Magazine, consumer products and espnW. Based in Bristol, Conn., ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Hearst holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN.