"We'll all have our thoughts and fears, and we listen to everybody" - Barry Hearn leaves the door ajar for Premier League Darts format change

Darts fans seem to never be satisfied with the Premier League Darts format. One of the staples on the PDC calendar, the 17-week roadshow pitches the eight best players in the world against each other with one standing above the rest. As specific fans get restless about the knockout format which has been in place since 2022, Barry Hearn has acknowledged that change could be on the way and has not shut the door on this possibility in the future. This included relegations that were once a big part of the old format.

Speaking to Online Darts, Hearn confirmed that nothing had been written in stone yet. "I have no idea. I've got an empty sheet of paper. We discuss this probably once a month throughout the 12-month period. We're always putting it on the agenda and looking at ideas. Sometimes you go back to old ideas."

The hint he gave that if it was not broken, do not fix it. "We have a situation where last year we sold 99.21% of every ticket for the Premier League. Now, that does encourage you to say, listen, players have got their opinions. Certain darts fans have got their opinions."

The overall consensus still remains pretty positive as Hearn delved into some telling stats. "But when we talk about those opinions representing 5% of the sport, my market is the casual fan that buys 95% of the tickets. And the evidence I'm seeing is that people are happy with it. TV ratings are holding up. Ticket sales are astronomical. Prize money is going up. Every player in the world wants to be in the Premier League. So we have that supply issue resolved."

He stated a date where it will be confirmed while acknowledging that short term change will not be a large one. "We've got to be careful. Whether we leave it untouched for one more season is probably where I think the PDC will go. Whether they feel there's a little tweak, we'll have to wait and see. Certainly, we will have this internally resolved in September."

With the Premier League Darts 2027 campaign beginning at the start of the year, time is running out to make that decision whether to stick or twist. "The Premier League starts in January or February, as we know. So it's a difficult one. We're not in this business to take risks with other people's careers. We don't want to do something where everyone goes, 'That's a bit boring and dull.'"

He hinted that it was largely a UK audience pushing for change. "The problem today is you've got the UK audience saying it's the same players every week. And we've seen the same match six times so far this year. I understand that."

However, the counter-argument linked to the darts fans attending the events. "But, of course, if you're a fan from Manchester who only goes to see one darts event a year and you're going to get a champion coming to Manchester, that ticks their box," he said. "And that means the ticket sales are so astronomically high. So there is a balance."

As well as the fans, it is about accommodating the events in as many top venues as possible. While most of the events are in England, there are a couple in Scotland with the Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland Capital cities getting a week too. Added to that, Nights in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany all appear on the schedule.

Hearn continued to sympathise with the argument that the PDC were trying to do the best for everyone involved. "We've got loads of overseas venues saying, 'We want a Premier League night.' But we've got a broadcaster like Sky saying, 'Hang on, we've already let you have three outside the UK.' Which have all done unbelievably well. We're trying to keep everybody happy, and by doing that, we will definitely fail to keep everybody happy. I get that."

A lot of fans have compared the Premier League to 17 weeks of exhibitions. Hearn instantly dismissed this. "Although it has the look of an exhibition tour, it's not, because people want to win, whether it's the weekly prize or whether it's to get into the playoffs."

He continued by noting an old role that they could bring back. "The idea of bringing back relegation is another one which might be quite interesting," he stated. "The danger being, because I agree with you, I think that makes it more exciting. And it may be that you say, for example, every six weeks, you have quite a small number of the bottom guys eliminated."

However, there is a twist. "But then you find one of the really top stars has a bad two or three weeks, and the next thing is he's out of the competition. And the people that have bought tickets are saying, 'Oh, I wanted to see him.' 'I don't go to any other [darts]. I only go to it. I live in Nottingham. I live in Aberdeen.' So it's a complicated mix. We'll all have our thoughts and fears, and we listen to everybody and then we make our own minds up."

Another criticism is the schedule churning up the same fixtures week in, week out with the same players regularly facing off. The 78-year-old saw an upside to this in the fact that these were the best players in the world competing at the highest level against one another.

"They probably would, but not 60 times in their careers. I mean, it's a balance," he said. "You can go on different theories. Personally, I like to watch excellence. So therefore, obviously, I like to watch the best players.

He prolonged his intentions of keeping the Premier League away from any exhibition comparisons. "I don't want an exhibition feel to it, which is if you get a player that plays a few games and throws an 80 average and he still gets paid, that annoys me. I want excellence in everything we do. So it's a mixture. There are smart people out there looking at it."