Massive boost for snooker and darts fans as FREE broadcasting deal announced

FANS of snooker and darts have been given a boost with a new broadcasting deal for the sports.

The deal will see events from both sports shown live on free-to-air TV in the UK next year.

PADarts fans have been handed a boost with events to be shown on free-to-air TV[/caption]

GettySnooker events including the British Open will also continue to be broadcast live[/caption]

PAITV have signed a one-year extension to their broadcasting deal with Matchroom[/caption]

ITV will once again broadcast events after agreeing a one-year extension with Matchroom.

A host of tournaments across the two sports will now continue to be shown in 2025 across ITV and ITVX.

The World Snooker Tour’s Champion of Champions, Players Championship and Tour Championship will continue to be available.

As will the British Open, with this year’s edition currently being broadcast live by ITV.

Meanwhile, the Professional Darts Corporation’s Masters, UK Open, European Championship and Players Championship will once again be shown live by ITV.

They will also continue their coverage of the World Series of Darts, with at least seven global events and the Finals, which were recently won by Luke Littler.

The extension follows the expansion of the Masters from 24 to 32 players ahead of next year.

As a result, darts fans will be able to take in an extra session from the event at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.

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Stephen Bunting will be defending his title in January 2025 after beating Michael van Gerwen in this year’s final.

In a statement, ITV director of sport Niall Sloane explained: “We are delighted to extend our partnership with Matchroom, and continue to bring free-to-air coverage to darts and snooker fans on ITV and ITVX.

“The deal includes The Masters as it enters an exciting expansion of its tournament alongside the existing big-name events our viewers enjoy annually.”

WST chief marketing and communications officer Tom Rowell added: “This is fantastic news for snooker fans as they will continue to be able to watch the sport’s biggest names across a range of prestigious events over the 2024/25 season, on free-to-air ITV platforms.

“We look forward to working with ITV’s outstanding team, starting at this week’s British Open in Cheltenham.”

Meanwhile, Matt Porter, chief executive of the PDC, said: “ITV have been a valued partner of the PDC for over 15 years and have broadcast many iconic moments during that time – and with so much excitement around the sport at the moment we’re looking forward to a thrilling 2025.”

GettyStephen Bunting’s defence of the expanded Masters will be aired live on ITV for free[/caption]

Ultimate sports presenters rich list

TV sports presenters make a mint.

The biggest and best are signed up on yearly deals with the likes of the BBC, ITV and Sky for your viewing pleasure.

Laura Woods is dominating the media landscape at the moment, leading TNT Sports’ coverage and ITV’s.

Alex Scott and Jermaine Jenas are two of the fresher faces for the BBC’s sporting output.

Then, it’s the old guard of Gary Lineker and Mark Chapman who also command hefty fees for their Match of the Day programmes.

SunSport has taken a look at how those big names rank and compiled a list of the top 10 highest earning stars that grace our TV screens.

With number one worth a whopping £29.4million more than number 10!

Read the story and see the full list here.