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Just when you thought Peyton Manning could not possibly add another sports project to his broadcasting portfolio, the Hall of Fame quarterback has decided to go all in on Texas Hold ’em.
Manning’s production company, Omaha Productions, will produce the 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event and Final Table broadcasts as the tournament returns to ESPN.
In many ways, this partnership feels like a natural fit. Manning spent nearly two decades turning pressure into entertainment. The WSOP has done much of the same — just with more hoodies and fewer shoulder pads.
Ty Stewart, CEO of the World Series of Poker, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership.
The WSOP Main Event and Final Table are the most exciting moments of the year for poker fans. Omaha understands how to tell stories around live competition, which will elevate our broadcasts to new heights. We’re excited to have them bring this year’s event to viewers as WSOP returns to ESPN platforms.
ESPN reconnects with the WSOP after years away
For longtime fans, ESPN and the World Series of Poker remain closely connected.
ESPN first aired the WSOP Main Event in 1987. And after several years away from the network, the WSOP announced a multiyear agreement earlier this year that will bring the Main Event back to ESPN platforms.
Coverage will include more than 100 hours, beginning with Day 1A of the Main Event on July 2. The tournament will conclude with a three-night live broadcast of the Final Table from August 3-5.
In a story by The Hollywood Reporter, Dan Gati, head of content at Omaha Productions, said the company continues to look for new ways to tell compelling stories across sports and entertainment.
“Producing the World Series of Poker Main Event and Main Event Final Table gives us an exciting opportunity to expand our live-event slate and bring our production approach to one of the most recognizable competitions in sports and entertainment,” Gati said.
Expanded WSOP coverage aims to capture every all-in moment
Poker coverage is expected to feature more than 50 cameras spread across three featured tables, giving audiences a front-row seat to the heartbreak, hero calls and occasional moments when players confidently push all their chips into the middle only to realize they made the wrong move.
The broadcasts will also include player profiles and storytelling features designed to spotlight both professionals and amateurs chasing poker’s biggest prize.
That emphasis on storytelling matters because the WSOP has never been only about cards. It is about retirees taking one last shot at glory, seasoned veterans defending their reputations and unknown players wondering whether one incredible week could change their lives forever.
ESPN brings back familiar poker voices for WSOP revival
The return to ESPN also brings back several familiar voices.
Ali Nejad, Nick Schulman, Lon McEachern and Norman Chad are expected to join the coverage. For fans who grew up hearing Chad’s dry humor and McEachern’s play-by-play calls during marathon poker sessions, the reunion will feel nostalgic.
Their return also presents an opportunity to introduce a new generation of viewers to personalities that helped define poker’s television boom two decades ago.
