World Poker Tour Moving to Fox Sports

Does PokerNews seem a bit angle-shootery in releasing info 20 minutes or so early?

You read it here second … as semi-suspected, the WPT is going to Fox Sports, following what appears to be the Full Tilt Infomercial/time-buy method … though that\’s not made clear from the press release that PokerNews rewrote shortly before it was supposed to be released:

(And since we\’re bound to be picking on taking a fair and thorough look at PokerNews these days, is it really protecting an inside source when you say the info comes from an unnamed source, yet you end with a quote from the CEO about the information that isn\’t supposed to be public yet? Just curious how that works in poker \”journalism\” powered by \”the independent online poker authority\” … but all good, I\’m all about gonzo fact-dissemination in the spirit of breaking-news-is-breaking-news, and will keep your laudable disregard for time restrictions in mind at next year\’s WSOP.)

UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL JULY 17 @ 4:00PM PT

FOX SPORTS NET AND WORLD POKER TOUR INK BROADCAST LICENSE FOR SEASON VII

FSN Will Air 26 All-New WPT Season VII Episodes Across Its National Sports Network

(LOS ANGELES) July 17, 2008 WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: WPTE) and Fox Sports Network (FSN) announced today a partnership and broadcast license for Season VII of the World Poker Tour (WPT) television series. FSN, the nation\’s leading provider of local sports, received exclusive rights to air 26 all-new one hour WPT episodes in the United States across its national sports cable network.

\”The World Poker Tour has a track record as the ultimate brand name in televised poker,\” said George Greenberg, FSN Executive Vice President of Programming and Production. \”FSN is very happy to televise such quality content and we look forward to future programming opportunities with the WPT.\”

WPT, which films its tournaments in premiere properties around North America, will create 26 one-hour episodes from upcoming regular-season events. WPT will shoot the first two episodes today at the Bellagio Cup final table in Las Vegas. FSN and WPT will announce the timeslot and schedule for the complete season broadcast at a later date.

\”FSN and News Corporation are two incredible powerhouses in the television industry that have played key roles in the growth and popularity of televised poker,\” said Steve Lipscomb, WPT Founder, President and CEO. \”It couldn\’t be a better fit for WPT and our fans. We\’re thrilled.\”

WPT joins the ranks of MLB, NHL and NBA on the FSN network, which serves as the TV home to nearly two-thirds of all teams based in the United States. FSN\’s 16 owned-and-operated regional networks and its affiliated networks reach more than 80 million homes across the U.S. FSN is owned and operated by News Corporation.

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