Tonight’s hyped PDC World Darts Championship final between teenage sensation Luke Littler and the new world number one Luke Humphries is expected to see record viewing figures that could even surpass monster sporting events like the Ryder Cup and The Ashes – so promotor Eddie Hearn claims.
The Luke Littler vs Rob Cross Semi-Final Attracted 2.32m TV Viewers
Tuesday night’s PDC World Darts Championship semi-final between the 2018 champ Rob Cross and 16 year-old Luke Littler was reported to be witnessed by 2.32 million viewers on Sky Sports. Which already smashed the past darts viewing record of 1.65m that saw Gary Anderson beat Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor in 2015.
However, with Littler taking the world of darts (and sports in general) by storm, the Runcorn-born arrows man’s final with Luke Humphries is expected to shatter the semi record and hit over 3m viewers – according to Eddie Hearn.
If Littler can lift the title he’ll become the youngest ever PDC tournament winner at 16 years-old, beating the current record held by the 2014 champion Michael Van Gerwen, who was 24 at the time.
The best UK betting sites make Littler, who was 300/1 at the start of the event, the slight second favourite at 5/4, with Humpries the market leader to win his first Sid Waddell Trophy at odds of 8/13.
Over 3m World Darts Final Viewers Will Better The Ryder Cup and The Ashes – Claims Eddie Hearn
To add to the hype ahead of Wednesday’s PDC World Darts Final, promotor Eddie Hearn, who is the chairman of Matchroom Sports and the Pro Darts Corporation, has claimed that if the viewing figures hit the magic 3m mark, this will be more than the Ashes and the Ryder Cup got in 2023.
BREAKING..the record viewership for darts was 1.65m for Taylor v Anderson in 2015 Last night Littler v Cross smashed the record with 2.32m audience! Bigger than the Ashes, bigger than the Ryder Cup let’s break 3m tonight for the final @OfficialPDC 🔥 🎯
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) January 3, 2024
Hearn’s claims are true to a degree, but as we all know stats can be skewed to suit a narrative.
Yes, if you single out ONE day at both the Ryder Cup and the Ashes, then Eddie Hearn’s claim of 3m PDC World Championship final viewers would be enough to better those events.
This is because the 2023 Ryder Cup averaged 785,000 viewers on Sky Sports each day, but with the golf tournament over three days it got more like 3.7m across the whole competition. However, it’s also worth noting that this DOESN’T include the US figures or other Ryder Cup viewing stats from around the globe.
2.12m Watched The Ashes First Test at Edgbaston
Then, when looking at the Ashes, a similar equation can be done.
Again, if you single out one day, then Hearn’s statement is right. The First Test of the 2023 Ashes at Edgbaston peaked at 2.12m – which was the highest recorded for at Test on Sky Sports.
But, with there being four more Ashes Tests and up to five days on each, the total 2023 Ashes viewing figures were more like 17.8m, according to broadcastnow.
The expected 3m viewers for Wednesday’s final will, however, still be someway short of the 2023 Wimbledon Final that had 11.3m tennis fans tune in to watch Carlos Alcaraz defeat Novak Djokovic in five sets.
Regardless of how you portray Eddie Hearn’s viewing figure claim, one thing is certain – the 2024 PDC World Darts Final will still be the most-watched in the history of the event.
Then, if Littler can pull off the unthinkable and win, it will also rank high up as one of the biggest sporting achievements ever.
So, make sure you don’t miss out and are one of the 3m expected Eddie Hearn viewers.
Or, if you can’t get to a TV or don’t have Sky Sports, then don’t worry as you can also find out how to live stream the darts here.
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