A peak audience of 2.5m watched the world championship final on Sky as Luke Litter defended his title
I
f further proof was needed about the burgeoning popularity of Luke Littler and darts, it came with early viewing figures from Barb that showed the 18-year-old’s second world title victory on Saturday night was watched by a peak audience of 2.5m on Sky.
They are huge numbers in a sport that, not so long ago, would have been delighted with anything over a million. That is the Littler effect in action. But after thrashing the Dutch player Gian van Veen 7-1 in the final, he promised that his latest success – and the £1m first prize, a record for his sport – would not change him.
“I’m just me as you see me – outside of the darts, inside of the darts, I’ll never change,” he said. “This is how I am. Even my mum and dad, from the first worlds were saying to me, ‘don’t change anything, just be yourself’. That’s how it’s going to be.”
