BBC Extend BDO Darts World Championship rights until 2016
The BBC has extended their deal to screen the British Darts Organisation’s World Championships Darts until 2016.
The BBC have shown every BDO World Championship since 1978. However since 1994 Darts has had two world champions with the PDC version airing on Sky Sports, which finished on New Year’s Day with Phil Taylor winning his sixteen title.
BBC’s head of Sport Barbara Slater said – “The World Darts Championships are an important part of our sports rights portfolio, We look forward to bringing our audiences this great tournament through to 2016.”
BBC have reduced their commitment to the tournament however in the past couple of years, with them giving up Exclusive coverage. Since 2012 they now share with ESPN. BBC show the afternoon sessions, ESPN the Evening sessions. Each broadcaster gets a semi-final each live and the BBC still have exclusivity over the final.
The 2013 BDO Championships get under way later today with Colin Murray, Rob Walker and Bobby George leading the coverage on the BBC. Ray Stubbs leads the ESPN coverage with Nat Coombs doing the interviews. Both broadcasters will use the same commentary team of Vassos Alexander, Tony Green and Jim Proudfoot, who takes over from David Croft.
BDO chairperson Sue Williams has also said: “This is wonderful news for the BDO, its players and the millions of darts fans who tune in to watch the BBC’s outstanding coverage.”
