Viaplay to show PDC European Tour darts in the UK and 10 European countries
Viaplay Group and the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) have agreed a five-year deal that makes the Viaplay streaming service the exclusive home of the PDC European Tour in the UK, the Netherlands, Poland and all Nordic and Baltic countries from February 2023. The European tour offers regular top-level events showcasing the superstars of darts and represents a significant addition to Viaplay’s fast-growing sports portfolio in the UK – the world’s biggest darts market.
The PDC European Tour brings darts fans 13 live events across the season. Each event spans three days with eight hours of competition per day, delivering a total of 312 live hours of world-class action on Viaplay every year up to and including 2027.
Peter Nørrelund, Viaplay Group chief sports officer, said: “The PDC European Tour showcases darts’ ongoing global growth. Becoming the home of this exciting series in the birthplace of the sport is a further sign of Viaplay’s UK ambitions. The UK has darts at heart and this deal will make our service even more attractive to local viewers. At the same time, we can bring additional thrilling events to fans across our European footprint, where we have worked successfully with the PDC for many years.”
Matthew Porter, PDC CEO, said: “Viaplay has become a major broadcaster of PDC events over recent years and this is a natural extension of their coverage. The European Tour, which in 2023 will pay out over £2.2 million in prize money, is a much-loved series among darts fans and we’re delighted to be able to bring it to a new and wider audience through Viaplay’s numerous territories.”
Viaplay launched in the UK on 1 November with a unique offering of Viaplay Originals, curated third-party content and live sports. The sports line-up includes all European Qualifiers for the UEFA Euro and FIFA World Cup played by the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland men’s national football teams, along with the UEFA Nations League and friendlies, until 2028. In total, Viaplay holds UK rights to over 1,000 UEFA international matches from across Europe.
In the UK, Viaplay also shows LaLiga, Scottish Cup, Viaplay Cup and Coppa Italia football; United Rugby Championship, Rugby Football League and Top 14 rugby; NHL, IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, Champions Hockey League and Viaplay Elite League ice hockey; CEV volleyball; KSW mixed martial arts; EHF handball; ISU figure skating and speed skating; and World Athletics Continental Tour Gold and Indoor Tour.
The Viaplay Film & Series package is priced at £3.99 a month and the Total package including live sports at £14.99 a month.
In its European markets, Viaplay Group has a long-term partnership with Matchroom Sport, owner of the PDC. Viaplay is the exclusive streaming home of the World Darts Championship, Premier League Darts, World Cup of Darts, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship, in addition to the prestigious World Series of Darts Finals, in the Netherlands, Poland, and all Nordic and Baltic countries.
The two companies are also working together to stage the Nordic Darts Masters and Dutch Darts Masters events.