‘Littler power’, and the long term potential of darts
Darts continues to galvanise UK audiences, with last week’s World Darts Championship final delivering Sky Sports’ highest non-football viewership of 2024 – an average of 2.7m, and a 23% bump on the British Grand Prix.
Littler’s contribution to viewership is unquestionable, attracting 30% more search interest than the competition itself. Nonetheless, the relative gap between star and competition has halved vs last year’s 60% – demonstrating curiosity beyond the 17 year-old.
Converting interest into long-term engagement requires more than an individual, but darts shows promise across TFG’s core competition requirements:
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Quality: PDC events involve all the best players, consistently generating best vs best matches in late stages
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Jeopardy: darts ensures narrow margins in every leg – despite a convincing victory, Littler’s average score was only 1.2% higher than MVG in the final.
- Connection: Relatable characters, a lively crowd and a recent injection of ‘Littler power’.
By Jordan Heath
Senior Consultant