ESPN Announces 2016 World Series of Poker Broadcast Schedule
ESPN, the owner of the televised broadcast rights to the World Series of Poker, has announced its upcoming broadcast schedule for the 2016 WSOP, including this fall’s “November Nine” final table. (Due to date conflicts with the US presidential election, this year’s almost-live Main Event final-table coverage actually begins on October 31st.)
As in several recent years, ESPN’s broadcast coverage will focus almost exclusively on the $10,000-buy-in Main Event itself. Of at least 30 hours of scheduled coverage, all but two hours of air time will be committed to the Main Event, excepting two one-hour episodes, airing consecutively on September 6th on ESPN2, that will be devoted to coverage of the WSOP’s 2016 Global Casino Championship, which was held at Harrah’s Cherokee (North Carolina) earlier this month.
Morocco’s Said El-Yousfi won that tourney, collecting $343,256 and the only US-based WSOP bracelet that’s awarded outside the Rio in Las Vegas. ESPN’s coverage of the Global Casino Championship, is a promotional tradeoff of sorts. GCC entrants qualify for the season-ending event via top performances on the WSOP’s annual Circuit series. The WSOP Circuit tour is the fastest-growing segment of the WSOP’s live-event offerings.
All the rest of ESPN’s upcoming coverage, as usual, will be devoted to the 2016 Main Event. ESPN2 and ESPN will together air 14 episodes (21 hours of total coverage) on late Sunday evenings prior to the actual November Nine coverage. Two new episodes will air each week, with the last three Sundays of September offering early-Main Event action on ESPN, with later episodes, including the money bubble and the settling of the November Nine, shown during October’s Sunday nights on ESPN.
Here’s the complete broadcast schedule, in ET, which is subject to change. ESPN’s availability overseas varies from country to country.
2016 World Series of Poker on ESPN
All times are ET; Schedule subject to change
Date Time Event Network
Tues, Sept 6 10 p.m. WSOP Global Casino Championship – Part 1 ESPN2
11 p.m. WSOP Global Casino Championship – Part 2 ESPN2Sun, Sept 11 8:30 p.m. WSOP Main Event Championship – Episode 1 ESPN2
10 p.m. WSOP Main Event Championship – Episode 2 ESPN2Sun, Sept 18 10:30 p.m. WSOP Main Event Championship – Episode 3 ESPN2
Mon, Sept 19 12 a.m. WSOP Main Event Championship – Episode 4 ESPN2Sun, Sept 25 8:30 p.m. WSOP Main Event Championship – Episode 5 ESPN2
10 p.m. WSOP Main Event Championship – Episode 6 ESPN2Sun, Oct 2 8:30 p.m. WSOP Main Event Championship – Episode 7 ESPN
10 p.m. WSOP Main Event Championship – Episode 8 ESPNSun, Oct 9 8:30 p.m. WSOP Main Event Championship – Episode 9 ESPN
10 p.m. WSOP Main Event Championship – Episode 10 ESPNSun, Oct 16 8:30 p.m. WSOP Main Event Championship – Episode 11 ESPN
10 p.m. WSOP Main Event Championship – Episode 12 ESPNSun, Oct 23 8:30 p.m. WSOP Main Event Championship – Episode 13 ESPN
10 p.m. WSOP Main Event Championship – Episode 14 ESPNSun, Oct 30 8:30 p.m. 2016 World Series of Poker: Final Table Live* ESPN
11 p.m. 2016 World Series of Poker: Final Table Live* ESPN2Mon, Oct 31 8 p.m. 2016 World Series of Poker: Final Table Live* ESPN2
Tues, Nov 1 9 p.m. 2016 World Series of Poker: Final Table Live* ESPN
Sun, Nov 20 9 p.m. 2016 World Series of Poker: Final Table Encore ESPN*Live with 30-minute tape delay, per gaming regulations
As expected, long-time ESPN/WSOP commentators Norman Chad and Lon McEachern will reprise their roles. Kara Scott will be on hand to do live interviews, in particular during the almost-live November Nine coverage. Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak will join the broadcast action as well, offering additional player-oriented commentary.
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