ESPN and Poker Central to Broadcast 100+ Hours of WSOP Content

February 21st, 2020 | by Kaycee James

With the World Series of Poker (WSOP) drawing ever closer, Poker Central and ESPN have finalized their broadcast schedule for the Main Event and beyond.

Poker Central and ESPN are set to broadcast more than 130 hours of WSOP action this summer. (Image: ESPN Front Row)

Following the success of last summer’s programming, the two broadcasters have upped the ante this year.

With the prospect of more highs in 2020, fans will get to watch at least 40 hours of live WSOP action in June and July. In addition to live streams, 90 hours of original recorded content will be shown online and on TV.

Multiple Ways to Watch

Working in unison will allow ESPN and Poker Central to cover all angles. When ESPN isn’t showing live or pre-recorded content, Poker Central will take over with streams on PokerGo.

The highlight of the schedule will be the WSOP Main Event. This year, ESPN’s coverage will begin on July 1 and run through until July 14.

Outside of the Main Event, PokerGo subscribers will be able to watch live streams and highlights from other bracelet events.

“ESPN’s yearly World Series of Poker coverage has proven to be an annual favorite with our poker fans. Through our partnership with Poker Central, we look forward to another season of extensive broadcast coverage of the most popular poker event on earth,” said Rob Temple, senior vice president of programming and acquisitions at ESPN.

The 2019 WSOP saw numerous attendance records broken. Although the Main Event fell short of setting new standards, it did show that poker is still on the up.

Hopes High for 2020 WSOP

Indeed, when the registration desks closed in the 2019 Main Event, the number of entrants stood at 8,569. Ahead of the 2020 WSOP, that stands as the second largest Main Event of all time.

The only Main event to attract more players took place in 2006 and was won by Jamie Gold. Alongside Main Event highs, attendance figures at the WSOP as a whole have steadily increased since 2017.

This is a trend has led to an upturn at poker events around the world. Therefore, with the industry on the up, the 2020 WSOP has the potential to become the biggest ever.

For poker fans, that means more entertaining action on TV and online when the cards are in the air later this year.