button in SafariPoker Fans Surprised ESPN Isn't Offering Full WSOP Main Event Coverage for Free
Many poker fans on social media have expressed confusion over ESPN charging for livestreaming service of the 2026 WSOP Main Event in the United States.
The mainstream sports network has returned to the WSOP broadcast streets for the first time since COVID, and some assumed all Main Event coverage would be free. But that isn't the case, as we reported earlier this week when the livestream and television schedule was released.
How to Watch the WSOP Main Event on ESPN
The World Series of Poker shifted its livestream coverage of non-Main Event tournaments from PokerGO to its own YouTube platform. Some poker fans who weren't already PokerGO subscribers complained they had to pay to view livestreams. But this year, they assumed, would be completely different and all events would be free.
They were free until Omaha Productions, run by former NFL stars Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, took over the production of the Main Event, which airs on ESPN, ESPN2, and the ESPN App. The app is what some poker fans are complaining about. They're complaining because it isn't free, and PokerNews Podcast co-host Mike Holtz is among those disappointed.
Holtz, in response to a commenter criticizing his take, responded by saying "I just want the game to grow." He's referring to the ESPN App costing $12.99 to $29.99 per month, comparable on the low end to a PokerGO subscription.
The Main Event's pre-final table livestreams are all airing on the ESPN App, not on ESPN or ESPN2 cable. Livestreams of Days 1-3 run from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. PT, and then will run from 3-7 p.m. and 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. from Days 4-8. Once the final table is reached, the livestreams will move to ESPN2 (Aug. 3-4) and ESPN (Aug. 5).
Some poker fans have tweeted apologies to PokerGO, which livestreamed dozens of WSOP events each summer, some on the PokerGO subscription-based platform, and others for free on YouTube, and most events at least had a free hour or two preview on YouTube before the tournament moved over to PokerGO.
But there are still free ways to watch the Main Event in the U.S., including the entire final table on ESPN/ESPN2. While the livestream is only available on the app, ESPN2 will air condensed, edited versions of the World Championship event before and after the final table, with Norman Chad and Lon McEachern in the broadcast booth together for the 24th straight year.
ESPN is the largest sports network in the U.S. and televises all the most popular college and professional sports. It would be tough for such a network to slot in 8-10 hours per day of poker programming for two weeks, and that is partially why the app was created, to expand coverage of various events beyond the cable networks.
