The Global Appeal of Darts and Its Impact on the Sports Industry

In the world of darts, recent years have seen a boom in popularity. 

With both viewership reaching record heights and player prize money soaring, these factors have naturally driven participation, and with more players comes the promise of more quality. As a result, there is now more viewership at the highest level, the sport truly is snowballing.

What can now easily be considered a global sport is having a significant impact on the wider sports industry, competing against more established sporting events for the public’s attention.

This article will take a look at darts’ rich history reaching back hundreds of years, the current state of play, and its impact on the wider sports industry.

The History of Darts: Medieval Pastime to Global Phenomenon

While the Golden Era of the 1970s and 80s may spring to mind, the very earliest roots of darts can be traced back to the medieval era. 

Albeit a very different game to the one that the likes of Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen now play, English soldiers in the 1300s would throw spearheads at wine casks, competing against each other as they improved their aim. 

Over the next few hundred years the game inevitably evolved into a more established one. Its popularity surged after 1908, when pub owner Jim Garside proved in a Leeds magistrates’ court, with the help of talented local player William Annakin, that darts was a game of skill. This allowed darts to be played in pubs, with the Gaming Act of 1845 banning games of chance.

Beginning with the formation of the National Darts Association in 1925, various governing bodies were then formed and disbanded in the midst of two world wars. As a result of these, British soldiers spread the game of darts amongst servicemen from other Allied nations including Americans and Australians who took the game home after the war.

This ability to play just about anywhere is a major part of its growth, and in 1973, the British Darts Organisation (BDO) was formed, helping secure significant sponsorship and TV coverage as darts entered a golden era. This was one of professionalism, with TV viewership in the millions meaning prize money could allow the top players to play full-time.

It’s after this, in 1992, that parallels can be drawn between darts and football. The same year that England’s top clubs broke away from the First Division to form the Premier League, 16 professional darts players left the BDO to form their own organisation called the World Darts Council (WDC).

Rebranding as the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) that we all know today, the organisation is now responsible for some of the world’s biggest competitions, including the PDC World Darts Championship, which millions tune into every year.

Modern Darts in Numbers

Around 4.8 million is the number of people that tuned in to watch the 2023/24 PDC World Darts Championship final between Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, with the latter coming back from being 4-2 down to win the Sid Waddell Trophy.

For his troubles Humphries took home £500,000 in prize money, while Littler was awarded £200,000 as runner-up. In the 2025/26 edition, the figures will be larger than ever with the winner set to receive £1 million.

These rewards are largely made possible by the increased sponsorship money that the sport is bringing in. 

A renewed deal with Paddy Power will see the betting company continue to be the World Darts Championship’s main sponsor, with the agreement worth around $1 million a year according to Global Data. Dartboard provider Winmau and beer company Foster’s are other significant sponsors, earning the PDC over $500,000 a year respectively.

The incentive, of course, for these sponsors to invest in the sport is its viewership base. While 4.8 million watched the 2024 final, the competition overall averaged 471,000 per match up to the semi-finals—a growth of 39% year-on-year.

The main UK broadcaster for the tournament is Sky Sports, who also have the rights to show all other PDC competitions. The current deal with the PDC was signed in 2017 and is worth around £10 million a year, however a renewed agreement from 2026 to 2030 will see the PDC earn £25 million a year, emphasising the growth of the sport.

These staggering figures remain when it comes to live attendance. With the PDC European Tour final in Dortmund achieving record figures of up to 33,000, it became the second highest attended PDC event after the World Championship held at London’s iconic Alexandra Palace. For the tournament’s 2024/25 edition, all 90,000 available tickets sold out in 15 minutes.

Finally, it is worth noting the darts players themselves as an important reason for the sport’s growth. Players like Gerwyn Price and Peter Wright add huge personalities and therefore a narrative to the games they play in, while teenage phenomenon Luke Littler was the most Googled athlete of 2024, trending higher than both the Prime Minister and the King.

Disrupting the Status Quo: Darts’ Impact on the Sports Industry

To understand the impact darts has had on the wider industry, it’s worth looping back to how important it is to broadcasters.

Ahead of the 2024/25 Ashes series, Cricket Australia was reportedly looking for a long-term broadcast agreement to show the games. However, the organisation was reportedly left settling for a one-year deal with TNT after Sky Sports, who last covered The Ashes in 2015, opted to not bid for the rights. This was partly to prioritise its coverage of the darts, with the World Darts Championship also taking place over the festive period.

This preference of darts over one of the most famous sporting competitions in the world highlights its impact on the industry. Darts’ commercial appeal as a spectacle as well as a sport is another.

Live atmosphere is a large contributor to this, and is part of why tickets sell so quickly, offering fans in Europe, where darts is most popular, a new approach to sport. 

With WWE-like walkout songs, the audience in fancy dress, and crowd chanting all being staples of a darts event, its marketability as an entertainment product with storylines and narratives offers fans a very different experience to other established sports on the continent.

Darts as a Global Phenomenon

Overall, darts’ recent rise has allowed it to compete with some of the world’s most established sports. High viewership, the exciting fan experience, and a surge in participation highlight the sport’s growing popularity, with the 2025/26 PDC World Darts Championship set to see prize money for the winner double from just two years before.

This rapid increase shows how a simple pub game can have global appeal. To explore how sports can have these results, an understanding of the business and commercial side is pivotal.

To explore these trends and kickstart your career in the exciting sports industry, discover our course offerings and find the perfect programme for you.

Article by Zakaria Anani