The Epic Poker League, the new professional poker league created by Federated Sports and Gaming (FS&G), has inked a television deal with CBS and Discover Communication’s new network, Velocity. While financial terms were not disclosed, CBS will air seven hours league play while Velocity will broadcast another thirteen.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the deal with CBS is a “time buy,” in which FS&G pays the network to broadcast the tournaments. This eliminates the risk for the network while giving the Epic Poker League the national exposure that it desires. Most poker shows, the Full Tilt-sponsored “Poker After Dark” on NBC for example, have used this sort of arrangement to get on the air in recent years. But time buys are drying up, as the two online poker rooms that paid for the programming, Full Tilt and PokerStars, have had to cut back significantly since the April 15th indictments by the U.S. Department of Justice (and since the end of June, Full Tilt has been completely out of business as the result of it’s gaming license getting suspended).
The deal with Velocity is called a “promotional barter,” according to the Wall Street Journal, in which, rather than FS&G paying the network, the show is simply broadcast for free, with neither entity paying the other. The Epic Poker League gets the television time and Velocity gets a new show for its fledgling network.
The Velocity Network, expected to launch on September 25th, is billed as a network for “upscale men.” According to Velocity senior vice president Robert S. Scanlon, “In the same way that a car once defined the person who drove it, Velocity will define the viewer who watches it. Whether you are a car aficionado or just someone who prefers fast-paced, high-stakes television, Velocity will become a must-have entertainment destination.”
Scanlon said that the Epic Poker League, “is a natural fit for Velocity and the upscale male audience that we’re courting.”
The Epic Poker League, led by chief executive Jeffrey Pollack (formerly of the World Series of Poker) and Commissioner Annie Duke, is a league in which poker players must qualify for membership through live tournament success. Players can earn two, three, or five year membership cards through a combination of recent and lifetime results, which include certain numbers of “major” tournament titles, minimum levels of recent tournament earnings, and minimum thresholds for career earnings. The membership roster currently includes over 200 players, but more can always qualify as they rack up tournament wins and cashes.
The first event is slated to kick off on August 5th with a Pro/Am at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The $20,000 Main Event will be held August 9th through August 12th and will see $400,000 added to the prize pool. Below is the complete Season One schedule for the Epic Poker League.
Event 1: Pro-Am – August 5-8, 2011; Charity Tournament – August 8, 2011; Main Event – August 9-12, 2011
Event 2: Pro-Am – September 2-5, 2011; Charity Tournament – September 4, 2011; Main Event – September 6-9, 2011
Event 3: Pro-Am – December 9-12, 2011; Charity Tournament – December 11, 2011; Main Event – December 14-18, 2011
Event 4: Pro-Am – January 27-30, 2012; Charity Tournament – January 29, 2012; Main Event – February 9-12, 2012
Championship: February 13-14, 2012 (No Pro-Am or Charity Tournament)
