Eddie Hearn has revealed that solely Premier League soccer boasts extra viewers than darts since Luke Littler got here to prominence.
The 17-year-old burst onto the scene as he reached the PDC World Championship last, though he misplaced to Luke Humphries.
3
Former world champions Raymond van Barneveld and Rob Cross fell to defeat towards Littler en route and he has since continued his spectacular rise within the sport.
Darts has lengthy been a preferred TV occasion, however PDC chairman Hearn has now spoken on simply how excessive the viewing figures are amid Littler’s success.
Talking on Piers Morgan Uncensored alongside his father Barry, he mentioned: “We’re seeing our viewing figures, the one factor is darts is repeatedly disrespected actually as a sport.
“The viewing figures are second solely to Premier League soccer, and really throughout the World Championship, they had been on the identical degree as Premier League soccer.”
READ MORE ON LUKE LITTLER
“Unbelievable,” replied Morgan, earlier than Hearn added: “No different sport, you go and have a look at these viewing figures, the tennis, the golf on Sky versus darts.”
Littler’s World Championship efforts had many considering he would play his debut season within the PDC’s Premier League this yr.
Hearn has revealed that he may see his potential and pushed for {the teenager} to be chosen for the tour as soon as he made the semi-finals at Alexandra Palace.
“You’d have loved the second he burst onto the scene within the World Championships,” he defined.
3
3
“Throughout that interval, the PDC board make their last choice concerning the Premier League, which is our weekly roadshow across the UK and now Europe as effectively.
“At this level, Luke had simply bought into the semi-finals and we mentioned, ‘You have to put Luke Littler in.’
“There was quite a lot of members of the board who actually care deeply about darts who mentioned, ‘Now we’ve got an obligation to guard this younger man.
“‘He is 16, do we actually need to be placing him beneath that strain and on this stage, week in, week out,’ and our reply was, ‘Yeah, completely, sling him in.'”
Littler received his first Premier League night time final Thursday when he beat Nathan Aspinall within the last in Belfast.
The consequence has taken him to second within the standings behind world no.1 Humphries, with extra success behind the oche absolutely set to comply with.
