PDC President Barry Hearn confirms Premier League Darts format to stay for 2023: "I was surprised by how well it worked"

The Premier League play-offs will take place in Berlin next Monday. PDC President, Barry Hearn looks back with satisfaction with this year's tournament which was played with the new format.

This was despite fans voicing their displeasure at the same eight players facing off over the 16 weeks and it getting stale after the prior format received similar criticism but for Hearn, all parameters point to the continuation of the format.

“A lot of people said it sounded a bit samey, the same eight guys playing in a competition for 16 weeks and four of them making the play-offs,” Hearn told the Weekly Dartscast.

“When you say it like that, it sounds like we’re taking a bit of a chance but what we actually did is create 16 local winners. We created a lot more interest among bookmakers because it was a proper competition that had an end each night.

“I was surprised by how well it worked. The TV ratings are up, the audience appreciation schedules that we prepare are up. They feel a bit more involved because there is an end to the event that they bought a ticket for. It’s something that will stay next year and we will continue to monitor it.”