Luke Littler’s rise has earned the Professional Darts Corporation a mega £125million deal with Sky Sports. The existing rights holders have reportedly won the World Darts Championship broadcasting contract after a battle with Amazon and Netflix.
Littler has been pivotal in the increased interest in darts. Millions tuned in to watch his breakthrough at Alexandra Palace last year and the viewing figures soared as the 17-year-old stormed to his first world title this month.
PDC chairman Barry Hearn had warned Sky that they would need to “raise the ante” to have any chance of continuing to host darts’ showpiece event. The sport’s future on Sky had been thrown into doubt with their seven-year contract set to expire this year.
However, the Daily Telegraph reports that Sky will show Littler’s defence of his World Championship later this year after agreeing to more than double the money on offer. The broadcaster will now reportedly pay £125m over the next five years to retain the relationship.
It is claimed that Sky’s ability to advertise darts to football fans helped them win the deal. Their ‘Merry Dartsmas’ advert during the festive period featured England star Jack Grealish alongside a host of darts’ biggest names.
Streaming platforms Amazon and Netflix are both said to have made offers during the bidding process. Sky will therefore be relieved that they have won the right to continue their darts coverage for another year.
Darts audiences have soared over the past few years, in part due to Littler’s fascinating story. A peak audience of 3.7 million watched the Nuke beat Michael van Gerwen in the final earlier this month, with a total of 4.8m.
That was Sky’s highest-ever peak audience for a non-football event. Having paid huge sums for other sports, Sky were under mounting pressure to pay a similar fee to retain darts.
World No. 2 Littler has captivated audiences and is well aware of the impact he has had on the sport. “It is good to see the family section full with my darts shirts,” the teenager, who received a message from David Beckham, said last week.
“I know what I have done for the sport and [it is] good for kids to experience Alexandra Palace. Even seeing the darts academy open in Warrington, it is special in my home town.”
