Luke Littler’s World Darts Championship final will only be available to Sky Sports subscribers after the satellite broadcaster said free-to-air channels failed to make an offer to share coverage.
Politicians and sports fans said the final should be made free to view so as many people as possible can watch teenage star Littler compete for the crown.
Darts is not included on the list of “crown jewel” national sporting events which must be made available to all viewers.
The Liberal Democrats said it would be “scandalous” for the game not to be aired on ITV and the BBC, as well as on Sky Sports, which has exclusive rights to the event.
However a Sky source told i: “The final will not be on free-to-air. We are prioritising our Sky Sports customers, we received no approach from free-to-air broadcasters.”
Viewers without a Sky subscription can watch the final by buying day membership for the NOW streaming service, giving access to Sky Sports for a one-off £11.99 payment.
Sky chose not to pursue options to widen availability such as showing the final on its Freeview Sky Mix channel or streaming it on YouTube, i understands.
The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) will make highlights available for free after the final.
Sky sources said it was right for the broadcaster to prioritise subscribers who had paid for exclusive coverage of darts and other sports.
Sixteen-year-old Littler, the youngest-ever player to reach the decider of the tournament, has become a national phenomenon during his progress to the final, where he will play world number one, Luke Humphries.
Liberal Democrat culture and sports spokesman Jamie Stone told i: “It’s not too late for Sky Sports to share the rights with one of our Public Service Broadcasters, such as BBC, ITV or Channel 4.”
“It’s been done before for the likes of tennis and cricket and it should be done again for darts.”
Mr Stone added: “This is about Brits being able to share a historic moment for Britain. Being able to support Luke inthe final means being part of a significant cultural moment in this country, and no one should have to miss out.”
“The country is gripped by darts fever and the spectacle of a 16-year-old Brit becoming world champion. It would be scandalous for this historic game to be hidden away from millions of people.”
Sky Sports previously partnered with Channel 4 to make the final of the 2019 World Cup, when England’s cricket team beat New Zealand in one of the greatest finals ever seen, available to all.
Channel 4 also struck a deal with Amazon Prime to show British tennis star Emma Raducanu win the 2021 US Open final.
The broadcaster, which screened the rival BDO World Darts Championship after it was dropped by the BBC, declined to comment. i understands that it did not approach Sky with a proposal for the darts.
Channel 4, which has commissioned fewer programmes this year due to an advertising slump, is scheduled to launch a major new drama series, Truelove, on Wednesday night.
The list of major events which must be available free-to-air, either live or via highlights, includes the men’s and women’s football World Cups, the Olympics, Wimbledon, cricket World Cup, the Grand National and Derby, rugby union World Cup final and the rugby league Challenge Cup final.
For inclusion, an event must be considered to “have special national resonance” and contain an element which “serves to unite the nation, a shared point on the national calendar, not solely of interest to those who follow the sport in question”.
The list has expanded in recent years to include more women’s sport.
The Government will legislate to add digital rights to listed events, to prevent streaming services from buying a major final and placing it behind a paywall, in its new Media bill.
A split in the darts world, which eventually led to the formation of the PDC, with the BBC and Sky broadcasting rival “world” tournaments for several years, has been an obstacle to any move to add the sport to the list.
Littler’s rise has raised the profile of darts, boosting Sky’s viewing figures. Tuesday night’s semi-final between Littler and Rob Cross averaged 1.79m viewers with a peak of 2.32m, up 165 per cent on last year’s equivalent semi-final.
The final is also set to pass the previous viewing record (1.65m for the 2015 final) for a darts match on Sky.
Commercial branding surrounding the PDC championship would make it difficult for the BBC to jump in with an offer to share the final.
BBC One is also expecting a bumper night with the launch of the new series of The Traitors now clashing with Littler’s prime-time final.
ITV’s acclaimed drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office also continues on Wednesday, in a competitive night among broadcasters for new year viewers.
However, pubs are likely to enjoy a busy night as fans gather to watch Littler’s bid for glory in venues regarded as the sport’s “spiritual home”.
:: Coverage of the World Darts Championship final begins at 7.30pm Wednesday night on Sky Sports Main Event.
https://inews.co.uk/news/littler-darts- ... rticle-top
