ESPN, World Series of Poker reach multiyear media rights agreement

ESPN and the World Series of Poker reached a multiyear agreement to bring the tournament back to ESPN platforms, including a live three-night broadcast of the Main Event final table from Aug. 3-5.

The agreement includes more than 100 hours of multiplatform coverage of the WSOP Main Event, with play beginning July 2 on the ESPN App. ESPN’s linear networks will also air edited episodes featuring additional storytelling and programming, the company said.

The live final table broadcasts are scheduled from 9 p.m. to midnight ET across three consecutive nights.

“Welcoming the World Series of Poker back to ESPN is a meaningful moment for fans and for us,” Ashley O’Connor, vice president of programming and acquisitions at ESPN, said. “We’re excited to showcase the intensity and unpredictability of this tournament across our platforms.”

The WSOP Main Event is a $10,000 no-limit hold’em championship and is widely considered the premier event in professional poker.

“No pair beats ESPN and the World Series of Poker,” Ty Stewart, CEO of the WSOP, said. “The legacy of this collaboration helped the game explode and we can’t wait to deliver inspiration through world class content to a new generation of viewers.”

ESPN first aired the WSOP Main Event in 1987 and has partnered with the organization across multiple decades. The new agreement restores the collaboration and returns the event to ESPN’s primetime lineup.

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