The countdown is officially on. In just a couple of weeks, darts fans will once again descend on Frimley Green as the WDF World Championship returns to the iconic Lakeside stage – and this year, there’s finally some certainty.
After several years of head-scratching over broadcast deals, the WDF has secured a proper home on TV, bringing a welcome dose of stability back to the event.Last year’s champion Shane McGuirk heads back to the famous venue intent on defending the title he lifted after toppling the evergreen Paul Lim in the final.
He’s joined by a genuinely global mix of talent, with names like Jimmy van Schie, Neil Duff, Jason Brandon and up-and-comer Mitchell Lawrie ready to take their shot at the big prize. On the women’s side, Beau Greaves – the runaway force of recent years – won’t return after choosing to focus fully on the PDC.
That leaves Mikuru Suzuki, Deta Hedman and Aileen de Graaf as the marquee contenders aiming to take advantage of the shifting landscape.The WDF made headlines in October by announcing that Welsh broadcaster S4C will be the new televised home of the World Championship.
The channel has already dipped its toes into tungsten territory by airing the Six Nations Cup in the summer and the Welsh Open shortly after, and now it jumps onto the Lakeside stage with a hefty slice of the main event.S4C will show eight sessions in total, across traditional TV and online platforms.
Their coverage begins on the evening of Wednesday, December 3, streamed both on the S4C website and their YouTube channel, and continues until the afternoon session on Friday, December 5.
From there, things step up a notch: the second session on Quarter-Final Friday airs live on TV, along with Semi-Final Saturday’s evening slate and Finals Day on Sunday. So yes – the trophy lift is guaranteed a proper broadcast slot.
Even better for fans around the world, the early rounds (the first five days) will be live in full on the WDF’s YouTube channel, including for UK viewers.
After S4C’s TV coverage kicks in, the online streams will remain available to everyone outside the UK, meaning fans in the US, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and beyond can follow the whole thing without hunting for complicated workarounds.
For those watching on TV, here are the important numbers:
In Wales: S4C is channel 4 (Freeview, Freely) and 104 (Freeview HD, Sky, Virgin Media, Freesat).
Elsewhere in the UK: Sky 134, Virgin 164, Freesat 120, and Freely 70 (online only).
The first darts hit the board on 28 November, and the new world champions will be crowned on 7 December. Lakeside is nearly upon us – and this time, everyone can actually watch it.
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