The 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event and all bracelet events will now be aired on CBS Sports, the sports division of the American television network CBS.
The new multi-year rights agreement between both entities has turned CBS Sports into the WSOP’s new television partner going forward.
This new deal has effectively ended the WSOP’s long-standing partnership with ESPN, which has been the home of the WSOP on the airwaves for decades.
As part of the new deal, CBS Sports will air around 51 hours of WSOP action (15 hours from the Main Event, and another 36 hours from 18 bracelet events).
Fans will also be able to catch the action on other Viacom CBS platforms, such as Paramount +, previously known as CBS All Access. The full details of the coverage will be made available when the entire WSOP schedule is finalized.
This year’s live, in-person WSOP will run from September 30 to November 23 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
This isn’t the first time that the WSOP is teaming up with CBS Sports as the network was the original broadcast partner of the WSOP. CBS Sports Spectacular aired the WSOP Main Event during the poker festival’s early years in the mid-1970s, becoming the first TV network to broadcast poker in the US.
In 2019, CBS Sports also aired some events from the 50th WSOP, in partnership with PokerGO. CBS All Access exclusively streamed a total of 25 events, featuring commentary by Lon McEachern, David Tuchman and Ali Nejad. Additional highlights from the 2019 WSOP were also aired on other CBS platforms, including CBS Sports HQ, CBS Sports app, and CBSSports.com.
New Deal Will Boost TV Coverage for WSOP
Dan Weinberg, Executive Vice President of Programming for CBS Sports, said they’re excited to join forces with the most popular and richest event in competitive tournament poker. He said the new partnership perfectly coincides with their strategy to combine best-in-class events with the CBS Sports brand.
The WSOP is equally excited to work with CBS Sports, which has successfully established itself as one of the pioneers in championship sports coverage. WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart said the new deal will hugely benefit the WSOP, giving the brand increased television coverage.
The 2021 WSOP festival officially returns to Las Vegas after going on hiatus for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
