How to Watch Darts on UK TV: Channels, Fixtures and the PDC Calendar Explained

The Short Answer

If you only remember one thing, it is this: almost every big PDC event in the UK is on Sky Sports. The World Championship, Premier League Darts, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship Finals all sit behind the Sky paywall. ITV keeps a smaller slice, most notably the UK Open and the Masters, and shows them free to air. The BDO-era free-to-air monopoly is long gone.

Want to check what is on right now? Our darts fixtures page lists every televised match today with channel and start time. The guide below explains the fuller picture for anyone trying to work out why a final is on Sky one week and ITV the next.

Who Shows What: A Channel-by-Channel Breakdown

UK darts broadcasting is split between Sky Sports (paid), ITV (free to air) and a smaller slice on PDCTV for international and minor tour events. Here is how the main properties line up.

Event	UK Broadcaster	Typical Month	Free to Air?
PDC World Darts Championship	Sky Sports	Mid-December to early January	No
The Masters	ITV4	Late January / early February	Yes
UK Open	ITV4	Early March	Yes
Premier League Darts	Sky Sports	February to May (weekly)	No
World Matchplay	Sky Sports	Late July	No
World Grand Prix	Sky Sports	October	No
European Championship	ITV4	Late October	Yes
Grand Slam of Darts	Sky Sports	November	No
Players Championship Finals	Sky Sports	Late November	No
Pro Tour / Players Championships	PDCTV (subscription)	Year-round	No
World Cup of Darts	Sky Sports	Mid-June	No

The PDC official site ↗ confirms each event and its broadcast partners in the weeks before the tournament. Dates drift by a week or two each year, so use the PDC calendar or our darts fixtures page rather than relying on last year's schedule.

Sky Sports: Where the Majority of PDC Darts Lives

Sky Sports has held the main PDC television rights in the UK since 1994, which covers the entire professional era of the Ally Pally World Championship. Darts sits on the Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event channels, with some sessions also streamed in full on Sky Sports+. Coverage usually starts around half an hour before the first match of a session and runs until the last dart.

Ways to Access Sky Sports

• Sky TV: the Sky Sports package is required. Sky Sports Action is the home channel for darts, though session finals often simulcast on Sky Sports Main Event.
• Now (streaming): a rolling Sports Membership gives access to every Sky Sports channel without a satellite dish. Useful if you only want to follow one event, like Premier League Darts.
• Virgin Media / BT TV: both carry Sky Sports as part of premium TV tiers. The interface changes but the picture does not.
• Sky Go: existing Sky customers can stream the same coverage on a phone, tablet or laptop at no extra cost.

Sky's darts hub ↗ is the best place to confirm which exact channel an event is on, because major finals are occasionally bumped between Action and Main Event. Session start times are listed there and on our darts page.

ITV: The Free-to-Air Alternative

ITV4 is the only reliable free-to-air home for PDC darts in the UK. The Masters, the UK Open and the European Championship are its three main events, and the UK Open in particular is a strong candidate for the most entertaining weekend on the darts calendar. A 128-player draw means Premier League stars can be pitched against regional qualifiers from round one, and the Minehead Butlin's setting gives the event a distinctive atmosphere.

ITV4 is on Freeview channel 26, Sky 120, Virgin 119 and Freesat 117. Streaming is free on ITVX with a registered account, including live channels and the full event replays. ITVX works on iOS, Android, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation, Xbox and most smart TVs.

The PDC Year: When to Watch What

If you are new to darts, the sport can feel like a constant stream of events. It actually follows a predictable annual rhythm. Here is the headline calendar for a typical year.

Month	Flagship Event	Venue	Why It Matters
December to January	World Darts Championship	Alexandra Palace, London	The biggest prize fund and title in the sport. Sixteen nights of coverage.
January	Bahrain Darts Masters	Bahrain	First World Series event of the year.
February	The Masters	Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes	Top 24 ranked players only. Free to air on ITV4.
February to May	Premier League Darts	Tour of UK and European arenas	Eight players, 16 weekly league nights, then a finals night at the O2.
March	UK Open	Butlin's, Minehead	The "FA Cup of darts" with a 128-player open draw.
April	International Darts Open, Austrian Darts Open	Mainland Europe	European Tour ranking events.
June	World Cup of Darts	Frankfurt	Two-player national teams competing for country pride.
July	World Matchplay	Winter Gardens, Blackpool	Longest-format televised event after the Worlds.
October	World Grand Prix	Leicester	The only major played in double-in, double-out format.
November	Grand Slam of Darts	Wolverhampton	Round-robin group stage, knockout from the last 16.
November	Players Championship Finals	Minehead	Top 64 on the Pro Tour order of merit. Last major before Ally Pally.

Exact venues and dates are confirmed on the PDC official calendar ↗. The World Championship page ↗, Premier League page ↗ and World Matchplay page ↗ are good starting points for tournament-specific info, draws and prize money.

Streaming: Where to Watch on a Phone or Laptop

Darts travels well to smaller screens because the oche is static and the shot is always framed the same way. Streaming options divide neatly by broadcaster.

Service	Covers	Cost (UK, indicative)	Works On
Now Sports Membership	All Sky Sports darts events	Monthly rolling pass	iOS, Android, smart TVs, Fire TV, Apple TV, PlayStation, Xbox
Sky Go	Same as above, for existing Sky customers	Included with Sky Sports	iOS, Android, laptop browser
ITVX	Masters, UK Open, European Championship	Free with account	iOS, Android, smart TVs, Fire TV, Apple TV, consoles
PDCTV	Pro Tour, Players Championships, World Series qualifiers	Subscription	Desktop browser, mobile

Streams typically run 20 to 60 seconds behind the TV broadcast. That matters less in darts than in a football penalty shootout, but it is worth knowing if you are following scores on social media at the same time.

Why Coverage Splits Between Sky and ITV

The split is commercial. The PDC sells UK rights as a bundle of events, and Sky has consistently paid to keep the flagship tournaments behind the pay TV wall. ITV's smaller package includes the events that reach wider audiences when shown free to air. The UK Open and the Masters are a good fit because they are condensed weekend-only tournaments that suit ITV4's schedule.

There is no signal that the overall split is about to change. Rights deals are usually negotiated in multi-year cycles, so the Sky-ITV balance tends to hold steady from one year to the next. If you want everything without buying Sky or Now, you will miss the World Championship, the Premier League and the Matchplay.

Common Viewing Questions

What channel is the darts on tonight?

If a major PDC televised event is running, it is almost certainly on Sky Sports (usually Action or Main Event) or ITV4 if it is the Masters, UK Open or European Championship. Our darts fixtures page shows the live channel for any match airing today.

Is there any darts on free-to-air TV?

Yes, but only the Masters (January / February), the UK Open (March) and the European Championship (October). All three are on ITV4 and ITVX.

What time do darts sessions start?

Afternoon sessions usually start at 12:30 or 13:00 UK time. Evening sessions typically start at 19:00 on weekdays and 18:00 or 19:00 at the weekend. Worlds and Premier League Darts lean more heavily on the evening slot.

Can I watch the PDC World Championship without Sky?

Not in the UK through a legitimate live broadcast. A Now Sports Membership is the cheapest way to get Sky Sports coverage without a satellite dish or long contract. BBC Radio 5 Live often runs audio highlights and news packages but does not carry live commentary.

Where can I watch the Pro Tour?

PDCTV carries every Players Championship and most Pro Tour fixtures. These events rarely appear on Sky or ITV because they are qualifier-style tournaments rather than televised majors. A PDCTV subscription is the only reliable way to watch them live.

What is Premier League Darts?

A separate weekly league tournament running February to May, featuring the top eight ranked players. Each week travels to a different UK or European arena. Nights are shown live on Sky Sports, and the play-off finals night is held at The O2 in London.

Is darts shown in HD?

Yes. Sky Sports broadcasts all PDC majors in HD, with some events also available in UHD on Sky Q and Sky Glass. ITV4 HD is on Freeview channel 126 and across Sky, Virgin and Freesat HD tiers.

Why are some finals on Sky Sports Main Event and others on Action?

Sky uses Main Event as its flagship channel and will move a high-profile final there if it is not clashing with Premier League football or another major. Action is the more consistent home for darts, but it is worth checking the Sky EPG on the day.

Planning a Weekend of Viewing

Major darts events tend to run long, with multiple sessions per day and finals stretching past 23:00. If you want to plan around other sport, our spring sports on TV 2026 guide and our sports streaming services comparison show how darts fits alongside Premier League football, the Masters at Augusta, and the early rounds of the cricket season.

For anyone who wants to follow only darts, the safest set-up is a Now Sports Membership during the event weeks you care about, backed by a free ITVX account for the three free-to-air majors. That combination covers every UK televised PDC event without committing to a year-round pay TV contract.

A Note on Women's and WDF Darts

The PDC Women's Series and the Women's World Matchplay sit alongside the main tour, with select events shown on PDCTV and increasing Sky Sports coverage of the Women's World Championship. The WDF (World Darts Federation) runs a parallel amateur circuit with its own world championship; WDF events are not currently part of the Sky or ITV deals, so coverage usually comes through the federation's own streaming and local broadcasters.

Check Tonight's Schedule

This guide explains the structure of UK darts broadcasting, but the picture changes week by week depending on which event is running. For tonight's exact matches, start times and TV channels, head to the darts fixtures page. If you are planning further ahead, pair that with the PDC's published calendar and you will never miss a televised leg.