BBC America has announced the expansion of its highly successful broadcast and streaming of Professional Darts, adding the 2018/2019 William Hill World Darts Championship from December 13 to January 1.
The best matches of the week will air Sunday mornings from 0900-1200 ET, and BBCA will stream a record 111 hours live on BBCAmerica.com.
Meanwhile, the World Championship final will air in prime time on BBC America on Tuesday January 1 at 2130 ET following the Doctor Who New Year's Day special.
This year's World Championship includes Amercia's Chuck Puleo, North American Champion and Canadian Jeff Smith and Canadian Jim Long in the largest field the event has ever seen, with 96 competitors battling for over $3.1 million in prize money and the prestigious Sid Waddell Trophy.
That trio will line up alongside the likes of reigning World Champion Rob Cross, world number one Michael van Gerwen and female qualifiers Anastasia Dobromyslova and Lisa Ashton.
Puleo, who topped the domestic CDC rankings this year to earn his World Championship debut, plays World Youth Champion Dimitri Van den Bergh in the competition's first round on Tuesday, December 18.
"Darts brings together everything we love about sports – drama, suspense, excitement and wildly passionate fans,” said Courtney Thomasma executive director of BBC America.
"BBCA's comprehensive coverage will super-serve sports fans and also engage more casual viewers who want to experience this fan-fueled phenomenon first-hand.
"We were thrilled at the level of enthusiasm for the debut of Premier League Darts last spring, and are looking forward to being the US home of the World Darts Championship this month. Game on!"
BBC America launched its darts initiative with the 2017/2018 World Darts Championship, the most watched darts tournament on US TV in a decade*, beating professional darts coverage on sports networks including NBC Sports Network, FS1, FS2, ESPN Classic, and ESPNU.
That elite competition reached nearly four million unique viewers on BBC America, with the final trending globally on Twitter and setting the stage for the expansion into Premier League Darts which drew over ten million unique viewers on the channel.
Premier League Darts also generated nearly three million livestream views, growing +9x from the first half to the second half of the tournament. Livestream views consist of views on BBCAmerica.com and Facebook.
For further information, please visit www.bbcamerica.com/shows/darts, follow @DartsBBCA on Twitter or visit www.facebook.com/DartsBBCA
2018/2019 William Hill World Darts Championship
BBC America Schedule
Thursday, December 13 – Day 1
2:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
Friday, December 14 – Day 2
7:30am ET (Streaming Live)
2:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
Saturday, December 15 – Day 3
7:30am ET (Streaming Live)
2:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
Sunday, December 16 – Day 4
9:00am-12:00pm ET
Best Matches Days 1-3 - BBC America Broadcast
7:30am ET (Streaming Live)
2:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
Monday, December 17 – Day 5
2:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
Tuesday, December 18 – Day 6
7:30am ET (Streaming Live)
2:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
Wednesday December 19 – Day 7
7:30am ET (Streaming Live)
2:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
Thursday December 20 – Day 8
7:30am ET (Streaming Live)
2:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
Friday December 21 – Day 9
7:30am ET (Streaming Live)
2:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
Saturday, December 22 – Day 10
7:30am ET (Streaming Live)
2:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
Sunday, December 23 – Day 11
9:00am-12:00pm ET
Best Matches Days 4-10 - BBC America Broadcast
7:30am ET (Streaming Live)
2:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
Thursday, December 27 – Day 12
7:30am ET (Streaming Live)
2:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
Friday, December 28 – Day 13
7:30am ET (Streaming Live)
2:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
Saturday, December 29 – Day 14
7:30am ET (Streaming Live)
2:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
Sunday, December 30 – Day 15
9:00am-12:00pm ET
Best Matches Days 11-14 - BBC America Broadcast
2:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
Tuesday, January 1 – Day 16
3:00pm ET (Streaming Live)
9:30pm ET – Final - BBC America Broadcast
Following the Doctor Who New Year’s Day special
* Source: Nielsen, Live+SD, P2+. Most Watched Darts Tournament=2007-TD, AA(000). Reach=12/16/17-1/1/18 (WDC), 2/1/18-5/17/18 (PLD), 1 minute qualifier.