Epic Poker League television

The Epic Poker League has signed a television deal with CBS that will see the league show more than 20 hours of league play.

The Epic Poker League is a new league created by Federated Sports and Gaming and the agreement with CBS guarantees the league more than seven hours of airtime on CBS and another 13 on Discover Communication’s new network, Velocity.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the agreement is considered a “time buy”, which means that the Federated Sports and Gaming group will pay CBS to air the poker tournaments. The risk is therefore less substantial for the network and yet the new poker league gets national exposure.

NBC’s “Poker After Dark” used the same arrangement, but the show was sponsored by Full Tilt Poker and that site is no longer operating in the U.S. following the crackdown of online poker.

The Velocity Network is expected to launch on Sept. 25 and is billed as a network for “upscale men”. Many believe that the airing of poker tournaments perfectly fits with this emphasis.

The Epic Poker League began this past winter and is led by former World Series of Poker head Jeffrey Pollack and Commissioner Annie Duke. Players can earn membership cards to the league through a combination of lifetime and recent results. The membership roster currently sits are more than 200 players.

The first event for the Epic Poker League is set for Aug. 5 with a Pro/Am at a Casino Resort in Las Vegas. The tournament’s Main Event will be held Aug. 9 to 12. That tournament will also mark the first telecast of league play on the CBS/Velocity networks.