Sky Sports sign new record TV deal to extend PDC Darts rights until 2030

Sky Sports have signed a new five-year deal with the PDC to continue broadcasting darts until at least 2030.

The broadcaster has been the home of a number the sport’s most prestigious tournaments since the formation of the PDC back in 1993 and has extended its partnership with the PDC thanks to a record deal said to be worth in the region of £125million.

The fee is said to be more than double that of the previous deal, with Barry Hearn and Matchroom having held out for a huge sum amid interest from the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime.

The new deal will include more than 60 days of exclusively live coverage from the World Darts Championship, Premier League Darts, World Matchplay, Grand Slam, World Grand Prix and World Cup of Darts.

Viewing figures reached new heights last year when a record audience of over 4.8m tuned in to watch an historic 2023/24 World Championship final between Luke Humphries and Luke Littler, with a peak audience of 3.71m – the highest ever non-football peak on Sky Sports.

Sky also saw record viewing figures for Premier League Darts in 2024, with all top 15 nights ever coming from last year’s tournament, while the average audience for the 2024/25 World Darts Championship was up 29% year-on-year.

Jonathan Licht, Managing Director of Sky Sports, said: “The incredible growth in darts viewership on Sky Sports over the last 12 months shows just how much the nation loves this sport.

“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 said: “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.”

The PDC will likely use the additional TV revenue to increase prize money over the coming years, with a top prize of £1million rumoured for the World Championship.

The current prize fund of £2.5million, including the £500,000 winner’s cheque, has remained since 2019, however that figure is set to increased with the field also set to be increased from 96 to 128 players.

Meanwhile, negotiations remain ongoing over the broadcast rights to events including the Winmau World Masters, UK Open, European Championship, World Series Finals and Players Championship Finals, with the current ITV deal expiring at the end of this season.