Exclusive: Poker Central Renews Series “Poker After Dark” as Live Format
Live Poker Games Edge In On Growing ESports Category
After more than 5 years, Poker Central is bringing back popular format “Poker After Dark” to its subscription streaming destination — PokerGo. Rebooted as a live format hosted at the ARIA Resort & Casino, the series will debut on August 7th with poker legends Daniel Negreanu, Antonio Esfandiari, among others, as they compete head to head in traditional poker games like No Limit Hold ’Em. Veteran poker commentators Nick Schulman and Ali Nejad will provide background insights on the competitions.
“Poker After Dark’ achieved some of the most breathtaking moments in poker by bringing the fans into an intimate setting up close and personal with the players,” said Mori Eskandani, founder, Poker Productions, the company team behind the series.
Prior to being cancelled on account of negative press about sponsor Full Tilt Poker, the hour-long show aired late night on NBC for six seasons. It also aired on NBC Sports Network and Hulu for a time. Full-length episodes are also available on YouTube.
“PokerGO is the perfect destination for the return of ‘Poker After Dark’ and we look forward to bringing back the same spirit of the show that made it such a hit in the past,” added Eskandani.
And after 6 years of dormancy, likely on account of the distribution rights being locked up by NBC and possibly Full Tilt, the timing could fall right in a sweet spot for Poker Central. With the popularity of esports continuing to skyrocket, relaunching the format live brings “Poker After Dark” into a similar category of live gaming competitions.
Joe Kakaty, president of Poker Central confirmed that the company plans “to announce additional high stakes tournaments and original programming in the near future as [it continues] to build on the PokerGO offering.”
And the comparisons between esports and poker as “virtual gaming” arenas are plenty, but esports audience growth is far outpacing poker which grabs 100 million viewers for mega championships like World Poker Tour as compared to esports global reach toward 300 million. In 2017, esports is expected to become ~$700 million industry, up to $1.1 billion by 2020. Poker on the other hand pulls stronger numbers in terms of overall market size — $40 billion with game stakes topping $70 million.
Whether cult-followed games like poker can grab a piece of the esports hype and viewership may be a stretch but as “one of the most beloved poker shows in the world” as Kakaty calls it, Poker Central is taking the bet.
