The World Poker Tour has agreed to a multi-year deal with cable TV's CBS Sports Network that will make the digital and satellite network the exclusive home for recent and upcoming WPT premiere-episode action.
CBS Sports Network has been the home ofnthe WSOP since its move from ESPN and now adds the World Poker Tour to its wide range of sports content.
The deal, which launches for viewers on November 14, will ultimately bring premiere episodes to air from the WPT's XXI, XXII, and XXIII seasons. The first episodes to air will feature the 2023 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship, where Wisconsin's Josh Reichard added his name to the roster of WPT championship winners.
WPT content heading to 'top-tier' network
The agreement marks the first time that content from the iconic WPT, past or present, has appeared within the CBS-branded family of networks and broadcast services. The WPT launched in 2002 and achieved meteoric success with its initial five-year run on the Travel Channel, and since then WPT content has appeared in numerous forms in both satellite and online packages.
Future episodes will include coverage of the 2023 $40M Gtd. WPT World Championship, won by Dan Sepiol, as well as the upcoming and highly anticipated ClubWPT™ Gold $5M Invitational Freeroll.
“Since our debut on the Travel Channel back in 2002, our WPT television presence has grown significantly in both production quality and reach,” said the WPT's CEO, Adam Pliska. “We are incredibly grateful to partner with a top-tier network and cannot wait to share a wealth of premium poker programming to the vast CBS Sports audience.”
The WPT's VP of Studios, Distribution and Ad Sales, Loc Sondheim, offered similar warm words. “CBS Sports Network is the ideal partner to elevate WPT TV and expand its reach to new households around the nation,” he said “It’s an honor to bring the excitement of poker to a network that showcases some of the biggest events in sports.”
