Poker Central selected the broadcast talent to cover the World Series of Poker (WSOP), which will air from 3 June to 17 July and continue from 20-22 July on ESPN and Poker Central’s recently-launched poker subscription service, PokerGO. Poker Central also released the full PokerGO WSOP live streaming schedule, which will augment ESPN’s linear coverage with extensive digital content for the duration of the tournament.

For the WSOP Main Event on ESPN, Lon McEachern will serve as play-by-play analyst with Norman Chad on color commentary. The two will be flanked by a mix of poker’s greatest players and broadcasters, including Daniel Negreanu, Kara Scott, Antonio Esfandiari and Joe Stapleton, to name a few. For PokerGO’s coverage of the Main Event, Ali Nejad and Nick Schulman will lead the livestream. The WSOP Bracelet events will be led by Lon McEachern, Norman Chad, David Tuchman and Tatjana Pasalic, among others.

“We’re looking forward to having some of the industry’s best broadcasting talent cover the most thrilling poker action of the year,” said JR McCabe, chief digital officer, Poker Central. “Our team, spanning both ESPN and PokerGO, will bring the WSOP viewing experience to life for millions of people tuning in across the world.”

Under the terms of Poker Central’s new deal, ESPN will telecast 40 hours of live WSOP Main Event coverage each July, plus original packaged shows totaling 130 hours annually. WSOP coverage not aired by ESPN will be streamed exclusively through PokerGO. This marks the first-time ESPN will air same-day coverage of the WSOP from day one of the Main Event to the conclusion of the final table, a model that will continue through 2020.

“This year’s WSOP will deliver the most live broadcast coverage ever with ESPN and Poker Central’s commitment to premier poker,” said Ty Stewart, executive director, WSOP. “We can’t wait to provide the new storylines, surprises and amazing moments of the WSOP with the help from our talented broadcast teams.”