The World Darts Championship final showdown between Luke Littler and Luke Humphries attracted a staggering 3.75 million viewers for on Wednesday night it has been revealed.
Fans turned out in droves to watch the historic teenager take on the world number one in waiting and it became the largest non-football audience for a single event in the broadcaster’s history.
Interest in runner-up Littler has brought a host of new viewers to the sport, with the 16-year-old’s semi-final against Rob Cross being the first record-breaking event.
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More than 2.3 million fans tuned in to watch the teenager beat Cross 6-2 in their penultimate match, seeing him make history as the tournament’s youngest finalist.
The broadcast was the channel’s most-watched darts match to date, but the figure almost doubled the following night when Littler fell to the new world number one.
More than 3.75 million tuned in to watch Luke Littler take on Luke Humphries in the final of the World Darts Championship.
Friends again after battle of supremacy.
After news of the historic figure broke on Wednesday morning, competition promoter Eddie Hearn tweeted that interest in the match surpasses both cricket and golf’s flagship events.
“BREAKING…the darts viewership record was 1.65 million for Taylor v Anderson in 2015,” Hearn shared on social media. ‘Last night Littler v Cross broke the record with 2.32 million viewers!
“Bigger than the ashes, bigger than the Ryder Cup, let’s break 3 meters tonight for the final.”
Hearn’s request was more than answered with milestone viewing, with the nation on tenterhooks to see if Littler’s fairy tale would continue.
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Unbeaten in his last 19 matches, the Runcorn teenager faltered early with Humphries taking the lead, but gained momentum to lead 4-2 after six sets.
A sliding doors moment in which Littler failed to capture a 5-2 lead will no doubt give the debutant pause, as Humphries battled the darts prodigy’s momentum to stop him in his tracks for a sweeping finish.
But Littler, now a national star, was pleased with his performance in his world championship debut.
‘I’m happy. I’m in the top 32 (in the world rankings) and finished runner-up in my debut (at the PDC World Championships). Is incredible.’