ITV STRIKES NEW DEAL TO KEEP DARTS
29/10/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
ITV has secured the future of free-to-air darts with a new three-year broadcast extension alongside the PDC.
The current deal was set to expire after the Players Championship Finals at Butlin’s Minehead on November 21-23, but months of negotiations have resulted in fresh terms.
Fans will now be able to watch world No. 1 Luke Humphries and reigning world champ Luke Littler on ITV4 and ITVX until at least 2028.
The new agreement begins in January 2026 and includes the World Masters, UK Open, European Championship, Players Championship Finals, all World Series global events, and the World Series of Darts Finals.
But the PDC will now manage production of all ITV-broadcast events, which is expected to lead to changes in the presenting and punditry teams.
PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter said: “We are delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with ITV, with the new deal set to take our partnership beyond 20 years.
“With more buzz around darts than ever before, we are pleased to be able to deliver free-to-air coverage of so many of our popular events to UK fans.”
Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport added: “We are pleased to expand and extend our live darts coverage here at ITV Sport, as we look to keep the biggest events in professional darts free-to-air for the UK audience to enjoy.
“We have a great relationship with the Professional Darts Corporation and look forward to continuing our work with them into 2028.”
The ITV extension comes alongside a new £125million five-year Sky Sports deal, which begins after next month’s Grand Slam in Wolverhampton.
Sky will continue to broadcast the World Darts Championship, Premier League, World Cup, Matchplay, Grand Prix and Grand Slam.
It is understood SunSport has spoken to several members of the ITV darts team and they have been waiting to find out if they will remain in front of the cameras.
Major changes are anticipated with many big-name broadcasters being axed when the deal begins in the New Year.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
