The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and Sky Sports have announced an extension of their TV rights agreement until 2030 in the UK and Ireland.
The five-year extension comes at a time of booming popularity for the sport amid the emergence of the likes of Luke Littler, while it also represents a continuation of the partnership between the PDC and Sky Sports that will stretch to 40 years.
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As per the PDC’s official site, the new deal will include 60+ days of exclusively live coverage of tournaments including the World Darts Championship, Premier League, World Matchplay, Grand Slam of Darts, World Grand Prix and World Cup of Darts.
With viewing figures reaching new heights, it’s a major development for those involved, while for Darts fans it will provide consistency and reliability in coverage for the next five years, with live action available through a Sky Sports subscription as well as through the NOW TV streaming service.
It was reported by The Telegraph last month that Sky Sports had fended off competition from Netflix to hold onto the rights with the PDC, with the agreement said to be worth £125m.
“The incredible growth in darts viewership on Sky Sports over the last 12 months shows just how much the nation loves this sport,” said Sky Sports managing director Jonathan Licht. “The extraordinary story of last year’s World Championship helped to welcome new younger audiences to the sport and brought increased excitement for fans.
“Following another successful tournament, there seems no better time to extend our longstanding partnership with the PDC to remain the home of this uniquely brilliant sport. We’re excited to keep innovating to tell the stories and bring fans closer to the action through our unrivalled coverage of the biggest darts tournaments for the next five years.”
PDC chief executive Matt Porter added: “Sky Sports has been by our side for over 30 years and we’re excited to extend our partnership for the next five years as we experience a surge in growth globally. We’ve gone from strength to strength in recent years as a sport, and the record viewing figures and sustained interest achieved by Sky over the past year are a reflection of the unprecedented popularity of PDC events at present.
“We’re determined to continue this growth in the coming years and it’s hugely important for us to have Sky working with us to help deliver more exciting tournaments for players, fans and viewers.”
In terms of the wider landscape of broadcasting rights and sports coverage in the UK and Ireland, Sky Sports continues to strengthen its own position in the market having landed this new deal to combine with their other offerings.
With long-term deals for the Premier League, Women’s Super League, ATP and WTA Tours, NBA, and ICC cricket, F1, EFL, Golf, NFL and much more in place, they continue to solidify themselves and their subscriber base, and it remains to be seen if further additions to their scheduling are made in the coming months.
