Will ESPN be a game-changer for the WSOP?

Just how important is the news that the World Series of Poker is, once again, going to be broadcast on linear television?

The most enthusiasm and excitement I have seen in years on poker social media came with the announcement that the WSOP was back on ESPN. 

This is something poker fans have hoped would happen ever since GGPoker acquired the World Series of Poker. A big operator like GG could, we hoped, eat up some of the costs of such a big project like this to bring poker back to the masses.

Not only will the prelim events be broadcast for free on YouTube, because of the World Cup enforced 20 day final table delay, we will see the return of edited highlight shows to hype the finale on August 3-5. 

Poker has needed this for a long time. As good as the PokerGO broadcasts were, they were paywalled and only in the reach of hardcore poker fans. There is now a chance that new blood will see the WSOP again. 

This comes at a time when the viability of poker is in question in the US, thanks to Donald Trump's aggressive tax on gambling turnover. Hopefully, the broadcast might get more attention to the impossibility of that particular tax regime.

Would YouTube be better?

 

Will the ESPN broadcast create a mini boom in the game? 

Looking at ESPN's viewership, it's not gigantic. Last year, prime time broadcasts averaged 1.9 million views in the US. Obviously, ESPN is syndicated globally, so the reach is much greater.

As excited as I am, I am more excited for the free broadcasts of preliminary events on YouTube. That is where we can attract a near infinite audience, potentially. The Oscars are moving to YouTube, and eventually, I think a WSOP Main Event broadcast could do record numbers there. I hope the numbers are good enough to make it a future consideration for the WSOP. 

I suspect social media, helped by the free ESPN broadcast, will maybe be where the WSOP's biggest reach happens. If we see an amazing final table hand, it now has a much greater chance of going viral. 

Whatever happens, this is tremendous news, and I tip my hat to the WSOP and GGPoker for making it a reality.