"My views are old-fashioned" - Roland Scholten was forced to quit as an analyst on Viaplay

The major tournaments in the PDC can now be followed live in the Netherlands on the pay channel Viaplay. Roland Scholten regrets that it is behind a decoder and also regrets that he is no longer asked as an analyst.

Wherever darts was televised in the Netherlands, Roland Scholten was a regular analyst on these broadcasts for many years. Until darts at Viaplay went behind the pay wall and the former major winner was no longer in demand.

"My views are old-fashioned," Scholten opens with the "Double Top" podcast. "I tell it like it is and am pretty black and white about it. Viaplay wanted to end the contract. They wanted to stop working with me. I'm OK with that, mind you. I also understand that they put young guys down, that makes sense."

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"But I also think that as a commentator or analyst you also have to have experience and a lot of the young guys who are there now don't have that. So I think Viaplay is missing a very large audience. Especially with the old guard."

Roland Scholten won the 2004 UK Open

Viewer ratings

Ratings in the Netherlands have dropped dramatically since having to pay to watch darts live. "Since it is behind the decoder, it has become less," Scholten said. "People don't watch as much anymore because it is no longer on television. That's a shame for the sport." He cites the better example of Belgium: "If it's on the open channel there, the ratings go well."

"I'm sorry I had to leave, but at some point there's no point anymore," continued 'The Tripod'. "Sometimes I got the same question twice in ten minutes. Then I had already said yes once after the first time. Did I then have to give the same answer again? Then I'm pretty black and white in that kind of thing."

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