World Poker Tour Broadcast License Extended by Fox Sports

World Poker Tour (WPT) Enterprises, Inc. and News Corporation’s Fox Sports Network (FSN) recently announced they have extended the TV broadcast that will include the WPT Season VIII. The new season will start filming in the middle of 2009 and it is FSN’s latest WPT programming.

FSN Executive Vice President George Greenberg recently stated,

The World Poker Tour has a loyal and passionate fan base that has made the WPT one of the most popular programs on FSN. We’re thrilled to be airing Season 8 and look forward to another great year of WPT championship poker.

The World Poker Tour, which films the tournaments they hold will premier throughout North America, will consist of 26 episodes of one-hour each from the events of Season VIII. Under FSN’s broadcast license they own exclusive rights to show the episodes in the U.S. through their national sport cable network. The airing times of the episodes will be released at a later time.

FSN started to air the inaugural Season I of the WPT to very high ratings last year and then they followed with an exclusive broadcast of the new Season VII episodes, which were shown every Sunday evening.

Steven Lipscomb, WPT Founder, President and CEO stated,

Fox Sports Net and News Corporation have far exceeded our partnership expectations and we are thrilled to continue growing our strategic relationship. Airing our eighth season on the nation’s prime sports network truly underscores the force behind the WPT brand and poker as a televised sport.