In a move that further amplifies darts’ inexorable rise across continental Europe, the Professional Darts Corporation has unveiled an expansive and strategically significant augmentation of its broadcast alliance with Belgian media powerhouse VTM – a development that will dramatically elevate the sport’s accessibility and cultural footprint within the region.
What began as a promising collaboration in 2020 has now evolved into a far more comprehensive and far-reaching partnership. Under the newly ratified agreement, VTM will extend its coverage to encompass the entirety of the PDC calendar in the coming years, ensuring that Belgian audiences are afforded an unprecedented, all-encompassing window into the sport’s global ecosystem.
From 2027 onwards, every European Tour event will be transmitted live across VTM 2, VTM 4, and the streaming platform VTM GO, creating a seamless, multi-platform viewing experience designed to cater to both traditional audiences and the increasingly dominant digital demographic.
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This is not merely an expansion – it is a recalibration of scale. The sport’s marquee events, including the World Darts Championship and the Premier League, will remain integral pillars of the broadcast offering, supplemented by comprehensive coverage of European Tour stops on Belgian soil. The result is a year-round tapestry of elite competition, woven into the everyday sporting consciousness of the nation.
The timing of this announcement is anything but incidental. Belgium has rapidly emerged as one of darts’ most vibrant and commercially potent growth territories. The Belgian Darts Open in Wieze has cemented its status as a cornerstone of the European Tour, while the recent Premier League visit to Antwerp’s AFAS Arena – a complete sell-out – served as a resounding testament to the sport’s surging popularity. The atmosphere generated by Belgian crowds, fervent, vociferous, and unrelentingly passionate, has not gone unnoticed by the sport’s leading protagonists, with figures such as Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen repeatedly lauding the unique energy of the audience.
Within the corridors of the PDC, Belgium is now regarded not merely as an emerging market, but as a pivotal one – a territory where demand is not only growing but accelerating at a formidable pace.
It is therefore little surprise that PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter has welcomed the renewed agreement with palpable enthusiasm. “We’re delighted to extend and expand our partnership with VTM,” said Porter. “The broadcaster has played a key role in the growth of darts in Belgium in recent years.”
Not Just a Darts Broadcast Deal
Beyond the immediacy of live coverage, VTM’s commitment extends into the developmental strata of the sport. Through initiatives such as the VTM 2 Darts Academy and the VTM Next Gen Darts Academy, the broadcaster is actively investing in the cultivation of future talent, providing young Belgian players with structured pathways towards professional competition.
That next generation is already beginning to take shape. A cohort of emerging prospects currently navigating the Development Tour harbour ambitions of emulating national trailblazers Dimitri Van den Bergh and Mike De Decker – two figures whose recent successes on the PDC stage have redefined what is achievable for Belgian players.
Taken collectively, this expanded partnership represents more than a broadcast agreement. It is a declaration of intent – a bold, forward-looking commitment to embedding darts deeper within Belgium’s sporting identity, while simultaneously nurturing the talent that may one day carry its flag onto the sport’s grandest stages.
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Images: PDC
