DARTS AND SNOOKER SET FOR MAJOR TV SHAKE UP

By Aaron Nijjar 

TELEVISION coverage of snooker and darts is set for a significant overhaul from 2026.  

Multi-sport promoter Matchroom Media is expected to take over production for both sports, excluding major events broadcast by Sky Sports and the BBC.  

ITV has been a brilliant broadcaster for snooker and darts over the past decade, fronted by renowned presenters like Jill Douglas and Jacqui Oatley.  

They have showcased the best of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries on the oche. 

Their coverage included prominent major tournaments like The Masters, UK Open, European Championship, Players Championship Finals and a minimum of seven global events from the World Series in darts. 

Production staff at the World Snooker Championship were informed this week about the impending changes at the end of the year.   

This led to growing concerns among freelance workers, including pundits, commentators, floor managers, and makeup artists, who may lose significant work opportunities.   

One source told SunSport: “Gutted as the guys who work on it are brilliant and we’ve all had the best fun working hard to try to produce quality TV. But money talks and that’s life.  

“So, no more ITV presenters and pundits, just whoever Matchroom ‘host’ broadcaster uses.  

“A big kick in the guts. ITV people are brilliant. Everyone’s very upset. Poor freelance floor managers, makeup artists, losing a lot of work.”  

Asked about the collection of ITV snooker events finding a new home, Matchroom Sport founder and president Barry Hearn said: “It’s nearly done. 

“There’s going to be a mixture of broadcasters because quite honestly, broadcasters like snooker. You know, it’s delivering ratings. 

“We live in a numbers game. ITV4 has been fantastically successful for us in the numbers it’s got. 

“So, obviously some of the other stations want snooker. And I think in the next couple of weeks we will lay out the deals that we’ve done. 

“It’s going to involve a multiple number of broadcasters. Some free-to-air, some behind the pay-model. 

“But it’s a compliment to where snooker is that it’s in demand. 

“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. 

“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.” 

ITV, Channel 5, the PDC and WST all declined to comment when approached.

Image by Taylor Lanning.