"It’s getting a bit boring now" - Steve Beaton calls for change to repetitive Premier League Darts format

Darts legend Steve Beaton says the current Premier League Darts format is diluting the excitement of high-profile matchups between stars like Luke Humphries and Luke Littler.

Since its overhaul in 2022, the tournament has adopted a weekly knockout format featuring quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final each night. While this guarantees a steady stream of big-name clashes, Beaton argues it comes at the expense of freshness and anticipation.

After sixteen weeks, the top four players in the standings qualify for the playoffs, held in late May at London’s O2 Arena. That structure means players like Humphries and Littler — the two most recent world champions — end up facing each other repeatedly.

Critics, including Beaton, contend that the format leads to overfamiliarity. They’re calling for a return to the previous round-robin system, where ten (sometimes twelve) players each played one match per night.

“I think the Premier League could be changed a bit. It’s getting a bit boring now," Beaton, who retired from his professional PDC career at the end of 2024, told Online Darts. “I know they sell it out all the time. It was nice to see Luke and Luke play each other, but almost every week they’re playing each other. There’s too much of [the same] players playing each other. If that’s how they want to do it, that’s how they want to do it.”

This past Thursday, the pair met once again in Aberdeen. Littler edged out a 6–3 win in a tense match, but lost to Chris Dobey in the semifinals.

“You’ve seen them play that many times all year…" Beaton continued. "[Before] they (the top players) met now and again, now they’re playing all the time. I don’t think it’s such a big thing when they do play each other.”

The former BDO world champion hopes the format will be reviewed ahead of the 2026 edition. Let us know your thoughts on the current Premier League format, and whether it needs a refresh!