LONDON – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – BBC AMERICA announced the expansion of its highly successful broadcast and streaming of Professional Darts, adding the 2018/2019 World Darts Championship from London’s Alexandra Palace from December 13 to January 1. The best matches of the week will air Sunday mornings from 9:00am-12:00pm ET. BBCA will stream a record 111 hours live on BBC America.com. The Final will air in primetime on BBC AMERICA on Tuesday, January 1 at 9:30pm ET following the Doctor Who New Year’s Day special.
This year’s World Championship includes U.S. Champion Chuck Puleo, North American Champion and Canadian Jeff Smith and Canadian Jim Long, in the largest field in event history with 96 competitors battling for over $3.1 million in prize money and the prestigious Sid Waddell Trophy.
The biggest names in the sport have been generating buzz in the weeks leading up to the championship – reigning World Champion Rob Cross “Voltage,” world number one Michael van Gerwen “Mighty Mike,” Gary Anderson “The Flying Scotsman,” recent Grand Slam champion Gerwyn Price “The Iceman,” Peter Wright “Snakebite,” Russia’s Anastasia Dobromyslova, England’s Lisa Ashton and more will take the center stage.
Puleo, who topped the domestic rankings this year to earn his World Championship debut, plays World Youth Champion Dimitri Van den Bergh in the competition’s first round on Tuesday, December 18.
“Darts brings together everything we love about sports – drama, suspense, excitement and wildly passionate fans. BBCA’s comprehensive coverage will super-serve sports fans and also engage more casual viewers who want to experience this fan-fueled phenomenon first-hand,” said executive director of BBC AMERICA Courtney Thomasma. “We were thrilled at the level of enthusiasm for the debut of Premier League Darts last spring, and are looking forward to being the U.S. home of the World Darts Championship this month. Game on!”