From early April on, Poker Central will have exclusive rights to show GPL matches. Shortly after having announced the complete list of team managers and franchises, GPL made their deal with TV network Poker Central public.
This is part of Mr. Dreyfus plan to give poker a trendier and hipper presentation style, instead of the screaming and kicking of the past years. Dreyfus believes that the poker industry should reinvent itself and also revitalize its fortunes; he believes that a good way to achieve that is to “sportify” poker.
Global Poker League has been inspired by the new market of esports and the GPL uses the same franchise system used in all major sports leagues in the US.
According to a recent presser the GPL this year will provide viewers with the “first-ever immersive poker event in the world”. The final tables will be placed inside “The Cube”, which is a one-way soundproof glass case. From the top of the structure, spectators will view live data and hole cards in real time. Players inside “the cube” won’t be able to see and hear outside of the glass case, this why a live broadcasting will be possible.
Another goal Dreyfus has is to attract media and well as mainstream sponsorship to the league. In fact, he already signed a deal with USA TODAY, one of the biggest newspapers in the United Stated.
To reach mainstream viewers and not only poker fanatics watching a dedicated poker channel, a partnership with a big network such as NBC would have been a great achievement. This is not the case this year, but perhaps soon.
The plus point of broadcasting at Poker Central is that the league will air in primetime slots, rather than late at night, as a mainstream channel would probably do.
Global Poker League Matches
There will be 12 weeks of matches, played online as well as live, then the playoffs and the championship, which will probably be hold in a leading sports arena in the US. The location is yet to be settled.
Twelve teams of five players each will compete. Each team will choose three professional players and two “wild cards”. February 25th is the deadline for the team selection.
The Teams
- Berlin Bears – Philipp Gruissem (Twitter: @BLNBears)
- Hong Kong Dragons – Celina Lin (Twitter: @HKGStars)
- Los Angeles Sunset – Maria Ho (Twitter: @GPLSunset)
- Las Vegas Moneymakers – Chris Moneymaker (Twitter: @LASMoneymakers)
- London Royals – Liv Boeree (Twitter: LDNRoyals)
- Montreal Nationals – Marc-Andre Ladouceur (Twitter: @MTLNationals)
- Moscow Wolverines – Anatoly Filatov (Twitter:@ MSKWolverines)
- New York Rounders – Bryn Kenney (Twitter: @NewYorkRounders)
- Paris Aviators – Fabrice Soulier (Twitter: @ParisAviators)
- Rome Emperors – Max Pescatori (Twitter: @RomeEmperors)
- San Franscisco Rush – Faraz Jaka (Twitter: @SanFranRush)
- Sao Paulo Metropolitans – Anddre Akkari (Twitter: @saopaulomets)
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