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Poker Central and CBS Partner to Stream WSOP Broadcasts

Over the last couple of years, World Series of Poker events have been streamed online primarily by either WSOP.com or by PokerGo. This is about to change for this summer as Poker Central announced on Wednesday that they have partnered with CBS to deliver “unprecedented coverage” of the 50th World Series of Poker.

Under the partnership, 41 days of action will be broadcast over several mediums, including CBS All Access and CBS Sports Network.

Poker Central Announces Partnership with CBS

On Wednesday, Poker Central sent out a press release announcing the partnership between Poker Central and CBS to deliver 41 days of coverage for the 2019 World Series of Poker. World Series of Poker bracelet events will be broadcast from May 30 through July 16 across platforms that will include both PokerGo and CBS All Access. Also, CBS will provide additional coverage over CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Digital.

This cross-platform distribution will result in Poker Central producing 41 days of live event coverage that will see both side share exclusivity of certain events. According to the release, 25 days of coverage will be available exclusively on CBS All Access while just eight days will be exclusive to PokerGo. The remaining days will see the two network sharing coverage.

Fans that don’t want to sit through long broadcasts will be able to catch up on all the action online as highlights of bracelet events will be available on the CBS Sports App, CBS Sports HQ, and CBSSports.com.

McEachern, Neja, and Tuchman to Anchor Coverage

One thing that isn’t changing is the quality of event commentary. The team of Lon McEachern, Ali Nejad, and David Tuchman will be on hand to commentate on all events. Joining them will be a regularly rotating group of color commentators that will primarily feature pro poker players. We say primarily because guest commentators are always subject to change and you’ll probably have a few non-players to join the team from time to time.

CBS Sports Executive Vice President of Programming Dan Weinberg commented on the partnership, stating, “The World Series of Poker, which is the pinnacle of the game, will be a fantastic addition to our digital and cable channels. We’re very pleased to bring this engaging content to poker fans across platforms.”

Poker Central President Sam Simmons also commented on the deal, stating, “The reach and position of CBS across digital and cable platforms make this the perfect partnership for reaching devoted fans and new audiences. This summer’s WSOP bracelet event coverage will further our ongoing strategy of expanding distribution of the most exciting live poker events.”

World Series of Poker Coverage Comes Full Circle

If you’re a newer fan of poker, you have only watched the World Series of Poker broadcasts on ESPN or on PokerGo. However, ESPN was not the first to broadcast WSOP action. CBS was the first TV network to broadcast the World Series of Poker all the way back in 1978. Brent Musburger was the first person to broadcast poker on national TV.

Poker coverage was very different back then as you got a single hour’s worth of coverage with no hole cards and very little expert commentary. However, it was groundbreaking for its time and laid the groundwork for what would become the modern-day poker broadcast.

It’s been 41 years since CBS broadcast the WSOP for the first time. It seems fitting that CBS would be involved in the 50th edition of the World Series of Poker. While we won’t see any broadcasts on the main network, the extra exposure for the WSOP is great for the series and great for poker as a whole.

A full schedule of streaming events can be found at Poker Central.

Photo Credit: Poker Central

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