Channel 5 set to snap up PDC Darts rights to replace ITV4
Luke Littler in action at the UK Open (Photo by PDC)
Channel 5 are close to securing free-to-air broadcast rights for a number of major PDC tournaments next year.
The PDC’s current deal with ITV Sport is due to end following the Players Championship Finals in November, and it is understood Channel 5 are in pole position to snap up the rights.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that Matchroom – the promotions company run by Barry and Eddie Hearn which is the majority shareholder in the PDC – will take charge of production from 2026 for events excluding those broadcast by Sky Sports.
These include the Winmau World Masters, UK Open, European Championship, World Series Finals and the Players Championship finals, as well as all World Series events.
ITV production staff were informed they would be surplus to requirements at the end of the current deal, including several longstanding pundits and commentators.
Matchroom Media will have the final say on the presentation and commentary selections, with a considerable shake-up expected from the current ITV team.
Channel 5 is expanding its sports portfolio, having recently struck a sublicensing deal with DAZN to show around half of the matches at the upcoming Club World Cup, and is reportedly keen to grab a slice of darts’ soaring viewing figures.
The World Seniors Snooker Championship was shown exclusively on Channel 5 last week, and it is believed a deal is also set to be struck with WST – also under the Matchroom umbrella – to pick up high-profile snooker tournaments including the Players Championship, Tour Championship and Champion of Champions.
In a recent interview during the World Snooker Championship, Barry Hearn said: “We live in a numbers game. ITV4 has been fantastically successful for us in the numbers it’s got.
“We need to be more encouraging to the younger market, which involves talking to them in the language that they understand and the medium that they understand.
“And that’s why the world is becoming more digital. The future is more Netflix than free-to-air.
“It’s going to involve a multiple number of broadcasters. Some free-to-air, some behind the pay-model.
“People will be able to watch what they want to watch, the sports they want to watch, when they want to watch it and for a price they can afford. I find that really exciting.”
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