After 23 years
ProSiebenSat.1 snatches the Darts World Cup away from Sport1
February 19, 2026 – 11:30 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Sport1 broadcast the tournament for many years. But now that will soon be over. ProSiebenSat.1 comments on the acquisition of rights.
After years of broadcasting, the TV station Sport1 is losing the rights to the Darts World Championship to the ProSiebenSat.1 group. From December 2027, one of the media group’s channels will show the tournament from Alexandra Palace in London on free TV until at least 2031, while the streaming service DAZN will continue to hold the rights as the main licensee.
DAZN has signed an extensive new contract with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) and is passing the World Cup and other major tournaments on to ProSiebenSat.1 via a sub-license. It is not yet clear which specific media group channel the Darts World Cup will be shown in the future.
“This acquisition of rights is a huge hit for us,” commented Henrik Pabst, the ProSiebenSat.1 managing director responsible for content. “In recent years, the World Cup has developed into a sports highlight with a cult factor. With the darts broadcast rights, we are consistently setting another important milestone in our sports strategy.”
The broadcasting group had recently acquired World Cup rights for handball, basketball and ice hockey. The last World Cup broadcast on Sport1 will take place from December 11th, 2026 to January 3rd, 2027.
The specialty broadcaster from Ismaning is keeping darts in its program despite losing the World Cup rights. Through a separate agreement with DAZN, Sport1 will be able to show, among other things, the Premier League and the Grand Slam of Darts from 2027.
PDC boss Matt Porter emphasized the growing importance of sport: “The sport has experienced remarkable growth in this region in recent years. This long-term extension reflects our shared ambition to further expand its reach.”
Sport1 regularly achieved high ratings with its darts broadcasts. At the most recent World Cup, the station recorded reach of over a million viewers on several occasions. An average of two million people saw the finale.
For darts fans who want to watch all the important events, a DAZN subscription remains essential. The annual subscription with darts content currently costs 19.99 euros per month. DAZN Germany boss Alice Mascia announced: “We look forward to offering all fans even more darts content in the future and continuing our shared success story with the PDC.”