The Epic Poker League, a startup series of tournaments led by longtime industry exec Jeffrey Pollack, has signed content partnerships with the USA Today Sports Media Group and online sports hub Big Lead Sports. The pacts will allow for wider distribution of the Global Poker Index, Epic Poker's new weekly rankings of the top 300 live tournament poker players. In addition, Epic Poker will be the exclusive provider of poker news and information for Big Lead Sports, including a blog from Annie Duke, Epic Poker Commissioner and a '11 Poker HOF nominee, and video segments from league events. "This is an important part of an overall effort to not only build the Epic Poker brand but to position poker for a mass audience," said Pollack, Exec Chair for Epic Poker and its parent company, Federated Sports + Gaming. "We believe presenting poker as a professional endeavor in part through points of content, like you would any other major sport, is a key step." Financial terms were not disclosed, but each of the parties will be selling sponsorships against the exclusive content. Pollack struck the USA Today deal with USA Today Sports Media Group President Tom Beusse and USA Today Sports VP & GM Ross Schaufelberger, his former partners in the late '90s online venture Broadband Sports.
