ITV has announced a revamped broadcasting team for the upcoming 2026 season as part of a new agreement with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC). World champion Luke Littler will make his return to action tonight after his impressive win at Ally Pally.
The network revealed the lineup changes in preparation for the new season following the confirmation of a fresh three-year contract with the PDC. ITV will showcase matches from various prestigious events such as the World Masters, UK Open, World Series of Darts Finals, European Championship, Players Championship Finals, and global World Series of Darts competitions.
Pete Graves and Gabbie Partington from Sky Sports will lead the coverage as hosts, with Partington already gearing up for the upcoming World Series of Darts events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
ITV’s punditry team will feature renowned personalities like Wayne Mardle, a five-time World Championship semi-finalist, and former Premier League champion Glen Durrant. Additionally, the team will include former PDC star Mark Webster and ex-World Matchplay semi-finalist Chris Mason. Changes are also expected in the commentary booth.
Dan Dawson will team up with talkSPORT commentator Mark Wilson, while veteran broadcaster Ian Danter will continue to play a prominent role in the coverage.
In light of the extended partnership with ITV, PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter expressed delight at the long-standing collaboration, emphasizing the importance of delivering free-to-air coverage of popular darts events to UK fans amid the growing excitement around the sport.
Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, echoed the sentiment, expressing pleasure in expanding and extending the live darts coverage on ITV Sport. The network aims to continue offering major professional darts events free-to-air for the UK audience to enjoy, building on their strong relationship with the PDC.
Darts enthusiasts can look forward to the upcoming Bahrain Darts Masters starting this Thursday, featuring reigning champion Stephen Bunting defending his title against Ryusei Azemoto. Meanwhile, Luke Littler will face off against Paul Lim in the opening round of the competition.
Sky has introduced discounted rates for its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, providing savings of £336 and access to over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL, and more. The network will broadcast a minimum of 215 live Premier League games each season, a significant increase from previous seasons, along with coverage of Formula 1, golf, darts, and other sports.