Revolutionary idea for the Premier League Darts: Could a player choose their own opponent in the future?

The PDC continues to grow in popularity, but chief executive Matt Porter knows success is never guaranteed. In an in-depth conversation with Online Darts, he spoke candidly about new TV deals, the future of iconic tournaments such as the World Matchplay, and the importance of storytelling around players.

The current ITV deal runs out at the end of this year, but Porter was quick to reassure fans that an announcement is imminent. “By the end of this month we should have something ready to announce,” he said. “It’s really only the summer that’s delayed things. Summer’s difficult because people go on holiday and it slows everything down. But yes, by the end of September we should have something ready.”

For British darts fans, the good news is that the relevant tournaments will remain free-to-air, keeping the sport accessible to a wide audience. The partnership with Butlins – the long-time home of the UK Open and Players Championship Finals – is also up for renewal. “That’s still in process,” Porter explained. “We want to stay at Butlins, it’s a great venue. The fans love it there, we love going there. We’ll get it done.”

This year’s World Matchplay was widely hailed as the best ever. But speculation sometimes surfaces about a possible move away from Blackpool. Porter is crystal clear on the subject.“I think there are some events that are in a growth phase, and some that are established. Once something’s established, then you have to ask whether you’re moving it for the right reasons. The World Matchplay is so synonymous with Blackpool and that beautiful room is part of it,” he said.

Since taking on his role in 2007, Porter insists the question of moving has never seriously been raised. “It’s never been a conversation. I don’t think we’ve ever had a conversation about taking the World Matchplay anywhere else.”

Among fans and on social media there’s regular debate about the position of the world’s top 16, with some accusing the PDC of giving them too much protection. Porter was asked whether those players could eventually be guaranteed entry into all of the ranked majors.

“The top 16 are in most things anyway,” he said. “But you’ve got to be careful. If you do that and it’s just the same top 16 forever, it becomes boring. We sometimes get accused of protectionism, but we still feel we’ve got enough open doors for players outside the top 16. Guaranteeing them everything would be a step too far.”

He pointed to the qualification race for the TV tournaments in Minehead as an example of added tension. “That’s the balancing act, isn’t it? Top players can’t realistically play all 34 Players Championship events. Do you go hard early, play the first six or eight and bank your money, then pick and choose? If you don’t get the money in early, then you’re chasing and panicking, and you’ve missed some because of holidays, so you’re playing catch up. It’s tricky, but 34 events across the year is plenty of opportunity for everyone to qualify.”

Porter is clear that the PDC is about more than just staging tournaments – it’s also about telling stories.“Everybody knows the Luke Littler story, the Luke Humphries story, the Michael van Gerwen story. But do people know the Josh Rock story, or the Jan van Veen story, or the Martin Schindler story, or the Ross Smith story? Players who aren’t the headline makers now could be the headline makers of tomorrow, so it’s better if people already know who they are.”

While short, snackable clips dominate today’s digital world, Porter stressed there is still room for long-form features.“We need to get players aware of the need for themselves to become brands,” he said.

He cites Scott Williams as an example. "I saw a TalkSport interview with him – 20 questions in a pub. Scott is a little bit Marmite, but fair play, he’s articulate, he’s got personality, he’s got presence on stage. He doesn’t care if you like him or hate him, he just wants to be on the stage. That’s knowing your brand.”

Stephen Bunting also drew praise. “Stephen Bunting’s done a really good job on social media, being relatable to people. If you’re a player just outside that top bracket, what can you do to build your brand so people know who you are? What’s your point of differentiation? If we can help bring that story out, it sets you up better for when you reach the next level, whether that’s the Premier League or winning trophies.”

Alongside player development, the PDC is also working on a major digital upgrade. “We tend to use YouTube for a lot of our archive, which is free for people. But we are relaunching PDC TV, relaunching our website and our app. It’ll all come under one big ecosystem, either at the end of this year or the start of next. It’ll be a much-improved product with new providers, and an exciting destination for darts fans.”

The interview closed with a bold proposal for the Premier League. Currently in Weeks 9 and 16 the fixtures are set by rankings – first plays eighth, second plays seventh, and so on. The suggestion was to let the league leader choose their opponent live on YouTube or Sky, creating a draft-style drama.

Porter smiled at the idea. “From a purely storytelling perspective, that’s a great idea. I don’t know. Would the players go for it?”

The interviewer pushed the scenario. If Luke Littler was top, he might pass on playing bottom-placed Bunting and instead choose Michael van Gerwen or Nathan Aspinall – knowing he often beats Aspinall. Likewise, Aspinall might pick Chris Dobey because of a favourable record. The drama would be instant.

Porter refused to dismiss it outright. “Between now and the end of the year, when you interview a player who you think will or might be in the Premier League, ask them what they think of that idea, and I’ll watch the answers, and then we’ll see where we go.”