ITV linear and streaming services will continue to offer major snooker and darts events for free at least another year.
- Deal with Matchroom includes World Snooker Tour’s British Open and Professional Darts Corporation Series.
ITV will continue to televise major snooker and darts events after the broadcaster confirmed it had signed a new deal with promoter Matchroom.
As a result, key snooker and darts events will remain free-to-air, mostly on ITV4, but also via ITVX during the 2024-25 season.
Notably though, the deal only covers one year, providing a level of uncertainty over long-term television coverage of the events in question. World Snooker’s British Open, currently live from Cheltenham on ITV4 this week is the first event to be covered by the contract extension.
Snooker events in the ITV deal
Snooker tournaments remaining on ITV’s outlets for another year include World Snooker Tour’s
- British Open,
- Champion of Champions,
- Players Championship
- and Tour Championship
Darts events covered by the ITV deal
The extension also includes a host of Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, including
- The Masters
- UK Open
- European Championship
- Players Championship Finals
- at least seven World Series of Darts global events
- and the World Series of Darts Finals
Corporate comments
Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, commented:
“We are delighted to extend our partnership with Matchroom, and continue to bring free-to-air coverage to darts and snooker fans on ITV and ITVX. The deal includes The Masters as it enters an exciting expansion of its tournament alongside the existing big-name events our viewers enjoy annually.”
Tom Rowell, WST Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, said:
“This is fantastic news for snooker fans as they will continue to be able to watch the sport’s biggest names across a range of prestigious events over the 2024/25 season, on free-to-air ITV platforms. We look forward to working with ITV’s outstanding team, starting at this week’s British Open in Cheltenham.”
PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter added:
“ITV have been a valued partner of the PDC for over 15 years and have broadcast many iconic moments during that time – and with so much excitement around the sport at the moment we’re looking forward to a thrilling 2025.”
By: RXTV staff | Image: ITV