PDC World Darts Championship Gets a New Bookmaker Sponsor
A bookmaking firm will once again sponsor the PDC World Darts Championship. The competition began in 1994 after 16 players – including all previous winners of the BDO World Darts Championship – left the British Darts Organization and formed the World Darts Council. It was later renamed the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).
London Calling! Paddy Power has announced its sponsorship of the 2024 PDC World Darts Championship. ©PDC
The PDC World Championship has been broadcast live and in its entirety by Sky Sports in the UK since its inception. “It [Darts] is now the second-highest sport on Sky behind the Premier League in terms of audience ratings,” said PDC Chairman Barry Hearn in a 2022 newspaper interview.
“It not only beats the golf and beats the rugby, it slaughters them,” boasted the famous sports promoter. Under Hearn’s stewardship from 2001, the PDC World Darts Championship prizemoney has risen from £125,000 to £2,500,000.
Hitting the Bullseye With Millions of Viewers
Much of the money generated by the PDC World Darts Championship has come from sponsorship. It is stimulated by the competition’s impressive viewing figures. The 2007 final was the first time Sky achieved a viewing figure of over one million for a darts match.
The 2013 final had a 1.2 million average, with 10 million viewers over the course of the tournament. In 2015, the final attracted a UK audience of 1.5 million. Two years later, with the viewers tuned-in on Dutch broadcaster RTL7 included, 2.17 million watched Michael van Gerwen beat Gary Anderson.
With over 4.4 million viewers, the 2018 final holds the record for the highest combined audience from the UK, Netherlands, and Germany. As a result, online sportsbooks with online casinos have been eager to sponsor the event. It takes place annually over the festive period and concludes during the opening days of January.
Ladbrokes had a long tenure as the PDC World Darts Championship sponsor. Britain’s best-known high-street bookmaker took over from the drinks brand, Skoll, in 2003. It kept the rights until 2014 when Michael van Gerwen won his first title.
William Hill assumed the reins in 2015 and remained the title sponsor until 2022. During this time, Gary Anderson, with two wins and two runner-up finishes, was the tournament’s most successful player.
Cazoo Crashed Out After One Year
In 2023, the PDC World Darts Championship title – and accompanying Sid Waddell Trophy – was presented by representatives of online car retailer, Cazoo. The New York Stock Exchange-listed company is no longer associated with the tournament. It also sponsored the Epsom Derby just once – in 2022. Valued at $8 billion in August 2021, Cazoo has since lost 97 percent of its market worth.
Irish bookmaker, Paddy Power, has now been announced as the new title sponsor of the event. Celebrating the fact, the betting brand unleashed a humorous clip via its social media channels on Monday. It sees previous champions subjected to the wild whims of marketing executives representing the bookmaker.
Ultimately, it confirms the exclusive deal with the PDC will run for three years. The 2024 tournament will once again take place in London’s Alexandra Palace and run from December 15th to January 3rd.
Of the new agreement, PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter said: “We’re delighted to welcome Paddy Power back to darts as our new title sponsors of the World Darts Championship – a deal which they’ve announced in their typically unique fashion with the help of some of our biggest stars.”
A Flutter With Small Acorns
Paddy Power began life in 1988 when three Irish bookmakers – Stewart Kenny, David Power and John Corcoran – joined forces. Their string of 30 shops has since grown to 500 outlets in the UK and Ireland. The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2000.
The company merged with Betfair in 2016 and it absorbed FanDuel in 2018. A change of name to Flutter Entertainment followed in 2019. Brands now owned by the Dublin headquartered company include Sky Betting & Gaming and PokerStars.
Michael van Gerwen – without success in the PDC World Darts Championship since 2019 – and 2021 champion Gerwyn Price share favoritism with the new sponsors. The pair are offered on odds of 7/2. Defending champion Michael Smith follows on 4/1.
