Struggling WPT closes television sponsorship deal with Full Tilt Poker

Attempting to shrug off the bad news that has followed the World Poker Tour around every corner lately, the beleaguered brand today announced an exclusive deal with Full Tilt Poker . As part of the contract, Full Tilt Poker will be the title sponsor for all WPT events that are broadcast as part of Season VII in the US and Monaco. In addition, they will have exclusive rights to the in-show educational segments.

Earlier this year the WPT announced that it was moving it’s popular show from the GSN Network to Fox Sports Net. This was the culmination of a frantic hunt for a new network partner after GSN abruptly decided not to renew their contract with the WPT.

According to Steve Lipscomb, CEO of World Poker Tour Enterprises, “With WPT’s incredible brand value and TV distribution through FSN coupled with FullTiltPoker.net’s massive online following, this partnership opens more channels to reach new fans and continue feeding the appetite for new poker content.”

Whether this new move will help bolster viewer ship and bring the stock out of the tank is unknown. What is known is that if WPT stock doesn’t trade over the one-dollar mark before the NASDAQ imposed deadline, they run the risk of being removed from the NASDAQ. This would cause considerable damage to not only their bottom line, but the brand as well.