3D First For Premier League Darts

SKY SPORTS will broadcast the opening night of the 2011 PDC Premier League Darts live on Sky 3D on Thursday 10 February at The O2 in London.

The four matches on the opening night this season will be headlined by 15-time World Champion Phil Taylor, who is up against the new World Champion Adrian Lewis.

Debutants Gary Anderson and Mark Webster will face Simon Whitlock and James Wade respectively, five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld plays Terry Jenkins.

This event follows the world's first-ever 3D darts screened into living rooms by Sky Sports at the 2010 World Matchplay and the recent Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship.

Sky 3D coverage at The O2 will be the first Sky Sports 2D broadcast transmitted directly from 3D cameras.

The cameras will film both 2D and 3D coverage at the same time, with the 2D footage taken from the left camera on a 3D rig, which is another 3D milestone for Sky Sports as it reduces the number of camera rigs and outside broadcast trucks needed and ensures that both the 3D and 2D coverage have exactly same angles.

Sky Sports commentator Sid Waddell said: "The Premier League has a great line-up and to see it literally coming into your living room in 3D on the first night will make for some cracking viewing.

"It's a fantastic tournament which takes us all round the country. I can't wait for it to begin!"

The opening night of the 2011 PDC Premier League Darts is the first of 14 league nights to be held around the UK from February through to May 2011.

Every match from the league will be screened live in HD presented by Dave Clark with Sid Waddell in the commentary box, alongside the likes of John Gwynne, Rod Harrington, Rod Studd, Stuart Pyke and Nigel Pearson and Wayne Mardle.

The 2011 PDC Premier League Darts is part of a breadth of darts available live on Sky Sports HD channels.

Alongside Premier League Darts, Sky Sports will broadcast the World Matchplay, the UK Open Finals, the World Grand Prix and the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship in 2011.

Also new to Sky Sports this year will be live coverage of Grand Slam of Darts, to be shown live on Sky Sports HD in November from Wolverhampton.

Fans can log on to www.sky.com/3D for more information about Sky 3D.

Tickets for the PDC Premier League Darts at The O2 are still available via www.theo2.co.uk or by calling 0844 856 0202.