The five year extension marks nearly 40 years of partnership between the two organisations and the deal will include over 60 days of exclusive live coverage from the biggest darts tournaments every year including the PDC World Darts Championship, Premier League, World Matchplay, Grand Slam of Darts, World Grand Prix and World Cup of Darts.
Sky, which has been showcasing and helping to grow the audience for darts since 1993, said latest data shows a dramatic rise in out-of-home (OOH) viewing for darts, which is good news for the pub sector.
The “Luke Littler Effect” has seen a 96 percent increase in World Championship viewing over the last three years, while the audience for Premier League darts has risen by 72 percent in the same period.
Meanwhile, 2024 was a record breaking year with the highest OOH average viewing for darts on Sky in the last 10 years, with 11 broadcasts drawing over 400,000 viewers.
According to Sky, darts has firmly established itself as one of the most important sports to show for licensees, second only to football.
It claimed 55 percent of pub and bar owners say darts coverage is critical to their revenue and success as a business and is attracting a young and engaged audience.
James Tweddle, director of hospitality at Sky Business, commented: “The growing popularity of darts highlights its unique ability to bring people together. Pubs and bars provide the perfect atmosphere to enjoy the excitement of live sport, and last year’s record-breaking viewing figures show how much darts resonates with fans.
“There’s an exciting opportunity for all our hospitality partners ahead of the Premier League kicking off this week and we’re proud to play a part in making this possible for venues and their customers.”