PDC 'agree huge £125m TV deal' for next FIVE years of darts coverage amid 'Netflix bidding war'

The PDC have reached an agreement over their next television rights deal for darts coverage, it has been reported.

The PDC has been covered by Sky Sports since 1992, when it signed a deal to show three of its tournaments each year after the high-profile split from the BDO.

Nowadays, darts is split between different broadcasters, with ITV now having the rights to show select tournaments including the UK Open and European Tours.

Sky, though, have maintained the rights to the remainder of the major events, including the World Darts Championship.

This year's World Championship, though, was the last to be covered by the existing TV rights deal - and reports claimed that Netflix and Amazon Prime were both pushing hard to secure the next deal.

However, The Telegraph report that Sky have now reached an agreement worth £125 million to televise darts for the next five years. Sky declined to comment on negotiations.

It is reported that Sky will have 'at least' 64 days of live darts every year until 2030, and could earn more than the minimum £125 million amount if the World Championship expands from 96 players to 128.

Sky have hosted every edition of the PDC World Darts Championship (Image: Getty)

PDC chairman Barry Hearn stated that Sky would have to put forward a significant bid in order to beat the likes of Netflix to the new TV rights - which they appear to have done.

Sky have built several stellar line-ups over their time covering darts, with presenters Dave Clark and Emma Paton, commentators Dave Lanning, Sid Waddell and Rod Studd, and analysts Wayne Mardle, John Part and Glen Durrant, as well as many others, all proving popular with fans over 33 years of the broadcaster.

The PDC will also look to sell a separate package of free-to-air rights for other tournaments not covered by the Sky deal, with The Telegraph reporting there is an expectation that ITV will continue their partnership with the PDC.

The 2025 World Championship was won by 18-year-old Luke Littler, who defeated Michael van Gerwen 7-3 in the final.

He became the 13th player to lift the trophy since the first PDC World Championship in 1993, with Phil Taylor winning it on a record 14 occasions.