The Federated Sports + Gaming, parent company of Epic Poker League, had previously announced that the televised coverage will be produced by 441 Productions, who had previously handled World Series of Poker on ESPN from 2003 until 2010 before they were replaced by Poker PRO-ductions for 2011.
Hosting and commentating will be handled by Pat O’Brien, who has covered major sporting events including the Olympics and Super Bowl, along with poker commentary and analysis veteran Ali Nejad.
EPL Executive Chairman Jeffrey Pollack explained "Our focus is celebrating the best live tournament players in the world with a sense of purpose and dedication.”
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday night that Federated Sports + Gaming, “is paying CBS to air the show on weekends as part of a “time buy,” a deal similar to an infomercial in which the company pays the network to air the show” and that episodes that air on Velocity “will air as a “promotional barter,” in which the poker company supplies the show without payment from the channel”.
Velocity is a new network backed by Discovery Communications and will debut on October 4. According to press materials released by Discovery, the network is aimed at men with incomes of $150,000 or more. The new network replaces HD Theater which had been running since 2002.
The first Epic Poker League main event is set for August 9 - 12 at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas. The schedule for the first season of the EPL, which players have to qualify for based on live tournament results, includes four events and a season-ending Championship event. All main events have a $20,000 buy-in.
