{"id":237572,"date":"2026-01-10T09:02:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T09:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/237572\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T09:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T09:02:09","slug":"why-darts-is-going-through-a-new-golden-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/237572\/","title":{"rendered":"Why darts is going through a new golden age"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s been a remarkable few days for Luke ‘The Nuke\u2019 Littler.<\/p>\n

Last weekend he pocketed a cool \u00a31m on the back of his fairly comfortable victory<\/a> over the Netherlands\u2019 Gian Van Veen in the World Darts Championship final.<\/p>\n

(That\u2019s double the prize money he took when he won the same competition last year \u2013 it just so happened the competition\u2019s prize pot was increased substantially this year, the first time it\u2019s been increased since 2019.)<\/p>\n

Then, just days later, it was announced that he\u2019d signed a new sponsorship deal with darts brand Target<\/a>, which could be worth up to \u20ac23m over the next decade. It represents the biggest ever endorsement deal for the game \u2013 and reflects just how important the 18-year-old has become to darts in a few short years.<\/p>\n

But while Littler is undoubtedly the main draw at the moment, his ascent has also coincided with a general uptick in the popularity of the sport \u2013 one that has seen it draw in more fans (and money) than ever before.<\/p>\n

Just how big has darts become?<\/p>\n

\"Luke<\/p>\n

It\u2019s going through something of a golden age at the moment \u2013 perhaps you could say a second golden age, after its first explosion on British TV in the 70s and 80s.<\/p>\n

The final on Saturday last had a peak audience of 2.7 million people in Ireland and the UK, according to Sky Sports. An impressive number for a pay-per-view channel \u2013 though it\u2019s actually down on recent years. Closer to five million tuned in to watch Littler\u2019s first final tilt in 2024. When more than three million tuned in last year to see him lift the trophy for the first time, it made it Sky\u2019s most-watched non-soccer event over the previous 12 months.<\/p>\n

And that helps explain why Sky recently paid \u00a3125m for a five year extension to its rights deal to show the championship. That\u2019s more than double what they were paying before.<\/p>\n

And while we tend to see the darts through a British prism it does have a sizable global audience.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a big following in the Netherlands, where lots of top players (including Van Veen) are from. It\u2019s quite big in Germany too \u2013 its Sports1 channel carried the tournament this year and had an average of two million viewers for the final. That puts it on a par with the UK and Ireland viewership.<\/p>\n

And the sport has a rapidly growing audience outside of Europe \u2013 including the likes of the US and Japan.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a far cry from the days of Jocky Wilson and Eric Bristow, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Yes \u2013 and what\u2019s remarkable is that the fundamentals of the game haven\u2019t really changed all since then \u2013 bar some minor tweaks. What has changed, though, is the scale and image of the sport around the world.<\/p>\n

While darts did have a first golden age in the 1970s, its popularity did plummet towards the end of the 1980s \u2013 in part because of the image it had cultivated.<\/p>\n

Many will remember the smoke-filled halls where audiences could hardly see the board through the smog, with the players sinking pints between throws. That was something that was made fun of by a Not The Nine O\u2019Clock News sketch \u2013 which saw big-bellied players lining up to aim for double brandies rather than double 20s.<\/p>\n

The skit was so on-target that some in the sport actually blamed it for the sport\u2019s decline in that period.<\/p>\n

And darts\u2019 nadir came in the early 1990s \u2013 where dwindling interest from broadcasters and sponsors meant some of the top players, who had previously been able to make a living from playing, started to struggle to do so.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s this financial crunch while led players to stage what was essentially a revolt against their governing body, the British Darts Organisation.<\/p>\n

This is a critical moment in the history of darts, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Yes \u2013 it\u2019s a crucial turning point for the sport.<\/p>\n

In the early 90s a bunch of players, led by Phil Taylor, set up the World Darts Council \u2013 a rival organisation to the BDO.<\/p>\n

They did so because they felt that the BDO was mis-managing the sport, and wasn\u2019t trying hard enough to drum up money and audiences for it.<\/p>\n

In some ways, initially at least, it was more like a players\u2019 union \u2013 at first members still took part in BDO competitions.<\/p>\n

But when the BDO tried to clamp down on the WDC, that sparked a proper split between the two \u2013 the WDC became the Professional Darts Corporation, and that started the ball rolling for what we see today.<\/p>\n

But how did we get from that break-away group to Luke Littler bagging a cool million pounds in a single tournament?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Well it has been a long road \u2013 the first televised PDC event was the Lada UK Masters in 1992, while the first World Darts Championship took place in 1994. So what we saw this year is more than 30 years in the making.<\/p>\n

But a number of factors did align for the PDC in its early days, which helped its rapid growth \u2013 and of course much of that comes down to money.<\/p>\n

Sky Sports came on board as a broadcaster in the early 90s \u2013 which was probably seen as a risky move by the PDC at the time.<\/p>\n

Sky was only a new broadcaster back then \u2013 and the concept of pay-per-view television was still relatively new to British audiences. By signing up with Sky \u2013 rather than the BBC or ITV \u2013 many will have felt the PDC was condemning itself to a small audience being delivered by an inexperienced channel.<\/p>\n

But of course the PDC was lured to Sky because it was willing to pay more than the likes of the BBC and ITV \u2013 in large part because it had a whole sports channel that was crying out for programming.<\/p>\n

For Sky, signing up the PDC gave them competitions that could fill hours of programming for a week or two at a time \u2013 not to mention all the highlights and repeats \u2013 which was (and remains) very valuable to them.<\/p>\n

The fact that relatively big names like Phil Taylor were involved was no harm either; nor was the PDC\u2019s rebellious image \u2013 which would have added to Sky\u2019s upstart credentials as it sought to take on the traditional broadcasters.<\/p>\n

But all of this ended up being quite useful to the PDC too \u2013 because it meant all of the matches in their tournaments were available to anyone who wanted them; not just a highlights reel at the end of the day that would have been available on a free to air channel.<\/p>\n

And because Sky was young and nimble, it was willing to try out new ways of showing the sport to audiences \u2013 which helped to make it more watchable.<\/p>\n

And that, in turn, helped to bring in bigger sponsorship revenue, which helped to grow the prize pot, which in turn helped to attract the better darts players.<\/p>\n

In the first WDC in 1994, the winner took home \u00a316,000\u2026 that had more than tripled to \u00a350,000 by 2004\u2026 by 2014 the top prize had grown to a \u00a3250,000.<\/p>\n

And so quite quickly the PDC became the gold standard for darts \u2013 and the BDO became the poorer relation. In fact it got to the point where winning at the Lakeside \u2013 which was the BDO\u2019s main tournament \u2013 was an unofficial stepping stone onto the PDC tour.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it\u2019s unfair to make the comparison \u2013 but one example of the lack of quality is with Glen Durrant, who dominated at the Lakeside between 2017 and 2019. But after three consecutive wins there he moved over to the PDC and, in 2020, got knocked out in the quarter final round.<\/p>\n

The steady growth of the PDC and the slow draining of the talent pool inevitably led to the collapse of the BDO in 2020.<\/p>\n

It was replaced by another organisation, but really it\u2019s the PDC that is the main darts organisation now.<\/p>\n

But darts is now far bigger than it was before \u2013 are there any theories as to why that is?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t overlook the fact that one of the drivers of the PDC for decades has been sports promoter Barry Hearn \u2013 who is a master at creating spectacle and hype around pretty much anything.<\/p>\n

And his son, Eddie, who is now chairman of the organisation, is cut from the same cloth.<\/p>\n

Both seem to have a genuine understanding of the game \u2013 and have been clever enough to make sure it hasn\u2019t strayed too far from its origins in pub and working men\u2019s clubs.<\/p>\n

In saying that, they\u2019re also not afraid to tinker around the edges if they think it will make it a better product, or one that has a broader appeal.<\/p>\n

The boozy and smoke-filled halls have been replaced by large, slickly-designed venues \u2013 like how the World Darts Championship has moved from Essex\u2019 Circus Tavern to London\u2019s Ally Pally, and will next year broadcast from its even bigger Grand Hall.<\/p>\n

But the Hearns have also built out a whole calendar of competitions and tournaments at various levels, to give fans something to watch through the year \u2013 and to give players more opportunities to earn money.<\/p>\n

That includes the likes of the Premier League, which kicks off next week and travels all around the UK and Ireland \u2013 so it comes to the fans rather than the other way around.<\/p>\n

Modern management also very much encouraged the kind of carnival atmosphere among the live audience \u2013 crowds are given implicit permission to dress up, sing along to walk-on music, mess and joke, and even boo a player when they miss a nine-darter.<\/p>\n

But there is something beyond darts that also helps to explain its growing appeal.<\/p>\n

The average punter is increasingly being priced out of most sports \u2013 with soccer being a great example of that. Traditionally a working class sport, soccer \u2013 at the top level in the likes of the UK at least \u2013 is now far too expensive for most people to engage with on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

The recent controversy over the price of World Cup tickets has really highlighted that fact.<\/p>\n

But if compare that to the darts and the world championship \u2013 where a ticket to an early stage match was \u00a365, and a ticket to the final was \u00a3100 \u2013 you can see that it\u2019s still pretty attainable for most.<\/p>\n

And in the age of the high performance athlete, darts players are still pretty relatable too\u2026<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Absolutely \u2013 to continue the earlier comparison, the average punter has pretty much nothing in common with a professional soccer player nowadays. In terms of their fitness, their diet, their finances \u2013 they may as well be aliens.<\/p>\n

And if you have any aspirations of being a professional soccer player, but you\u2019ve not been picked up by a club by the time you\u2019re out of primary school, unfortunately it\u2019s not looking too good for you.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile with darts, you have a game that\u2019s easy to understand, easy \u2013 and cheap \u2013 to start playing – and it has the fatal allure of seeming like it\u2019s easy to master (until you start playing).<\/p>\n

And the players still seem like normal people \u2013 from their attainable physiques to the fact that they\u2019re willing to show off a bit of personality and even character. They\u2019re not heavily media-trained like most elite athletes are nowadays.<\/p>\n

(Littler chatting back to the fans that booed him is a great example of that.)<\/p>\n

You have people like Gary Anderson – who\u2019s 55 – playing alongside Littler and Van Veen \u2013 which shows the upper tier is not just for young players. Meanwhile the likes of Fallon Sherrock, Beau Greaves and Noa-Lynn van Leuven have shown it’s not just a game for the lads.<\/p>\n

And even financially, the players still feel within touching distance of the average person.<\/p>\n

Even Littler \u2013 who is the top player in the world, and has earned nearly \u00a32.8m from competitions over the past two years \u2013 would be considered pretty poorly paid by English Premier League standards.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d definitely be in the bottom half of the earnings bracket, anyway.<\/p>\n

And earnings drop quite quickly as you go down the rankings. By the time you get outside the top 50 darts players you\u2019re into pretty average annual earnings. And while Littler has bagged a significant deal, it\u2019s not like there are lots of big endorsement paycheques available to many others in the game.<\/p>\n

And all of that means that even the top players have more than a little in common with the people who are coming to see them. They also have to put the work in and stay on the circuit \u2013 which means they still have to go toe-to-toe with pros, semi-pros and amateurs regularly.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s still a good link between the top of the game and the grassroots \u2013 even if it\u2019s something as simple as Littler turning up to a darts club in Cabra just a few weeks after he lifted the world championship for the first time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It’s been a remarkable few days for Luke ‘The Nuke\u2019 Littler. Last weekend he pocketed a cool \u00a31m…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":237573,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[61,60,112],"class_list":{"0":"post-237572","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-ie","9":"tag-ireland","10":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237572"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237572\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}