WPT Enterprises (NASDAQ:WPTE) and Fox Sports Net (FSN) announced the World Poker Tour[R] (WPT) Season VII television schedule, debuting the first of 26 action-packed episodes on January 4, 2009 during FSNEs Sunday Night Sports Block. Rounding out the sports lineup on FSN, WPT joins the ranks of Major League Baseball, National Hockey League and National Basketball Association.
oFSN is pleased to be the new home of the WPT, the foremost brand in televised poker,o said George Greenberg, FSN Executive Vice President of Programming and Production. oThis season promises the biggest names, the highest stakes and the most drama and we are very excited to watch all the action unfold.o
Season VIIEs new one-hour, two-part format continues to provide sports-style analysis and high-stakes hands from WPTEs world-renowned tournaments. Season VII also gives viewers a front-row seat to watch poker history, anticipating such milestones as the $400 million mark for prize money awarded and the 100th WPT Poker-Made Millionaire crowned. Fans will also see many familiar faces back at the final table, including WPT Season IV Player of the Year Gavin Smith, Mike oThe Moutho Matusow and David othe Dragono Pham.
oNot only are we excited to bring our seventh season to the airwaves, weEre ecstatic to be a part of one of the leading networks for sports, FSN,o said Steve Lipscomb, WPT Founder, President, and CEO. oTogether, WPT and FSN continue to bring the action into living rooms and put fans on the edge of their seats.o
Hosts Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten are back to call the action, while a new faceuWPT Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leathermanujoins the team to conduct sideline interviews. The action is recorded from the most prestigious gaming destinations on the WPT circuit: Bellagio in Las Vegas, The Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ont., Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Miss., Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, and Bay 101 in San Jose, Calif.
All 26 Season VII episodes airing on FSN are sponsored by FullTiltPoker.netO, one of the leading websites in poker instruction. Additionally, Southwest Airlines returns as the Official Airline of the World Poker Tour.
In addition to airing WPT action, FSN is also the network home for ClubWPT.com. Viewers can catch all ten ClubWPT.com episodes during a TV marathon airing Christmas Day on FSN.
In early January, WPT will launch a channel finder on www.WorldPokerTour.com, giving fans easy access to the full World Poker Tour and ClubWPT.com TV schedules on FSN, including show times and channels in your area. About WPT Enterprises, Inc. WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq:WPTE) is one of the most recognized names in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in land-based tournaments, television, online and mobile. WPTE has led innovation in the sport of poker since 2003, when it ignited the global poker boom with the creation of the World Poker Tour[R] (WPT) television show. Based on a series of high stakes poker tournaments, WPT is now broadcast globally and will premiere its all-new seventh season on Fox Sports NetEs national sports network in the United States in 2009. WPTE also offers a unique online subscription and sweepstakes-based poker club, ClubWPT.com, which operates in 38 states across the U.S. Additionally, WPTE owns and operates WPT China, a multi-media company based in Beijing specializing in television production, online and mobile games supporting the WPT China National Traktor Poker TourO. WPTE has a 10-year exclusive partnership with the China Leisure Sports Administrative Center to market and build the sport of poker in China. WPTE also participates in strategic brand license, partnership and sponsorship opportunities. For more information, visit www.worldpokertour.com. (WPTEG) ABOUT FOX SPORTS NETWORK FSN is the nationEs leading provider of local sports. FSNEs 19 owned-and-operated regional networks and its affiliated networks reach more than 80 million homes across the U.S. FSN serves as the TV home to nearly two-thirds of all MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States. FSN also produces close to 5,000 live local events each year, including more than 1,600 in high definition. In addition to its thousands of home team games and a wide variety of locally produced sports programs, FSN televises national sports events and programs, including Pac-10 and ACC basketball and Pac-10 and Big 12 football.
Keywords: WPT Enterprises.
This article was prepared by China Weekly News editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, China Weekly News via VerticalNews.com.
