Beat Luke Littler: Netflix enters live darts with £500,000 showcase
Netflix is entering live darts for the first time with a new show challenging members of the public to take on world champion Luke Littler.
Beat Luke Littler will pit 20 amateur arrows fans against the teenage prodigy for a chance to win £501,000 – if they can beat him in a single leg.
“Everyone thinks they can beat me,” said Littler. “Now they get a chance to prove it. Bring it on.”
The show, due to air live on 30 October, is being produced in partnership with the Professional Darts Corporation, which runs the sport and is part of the Matchroom stable.
Matchroom, the British multi-sport promotion business run by Barry Hearn and Eddie Hearn, was the subject of a behind-the-scenes docuseries which launched on Netflix last year.
The streaming giants has also shown high-profile fights involving stars from Matchroom’s boxing business, such as Anthony Joshua and Katie Taylor, and is set to broadcast Joshua’s blockbuster bout with Tyson Fury later this year.
Netflix deal is boost for darts’ global push
It comes after Littler, 19, retained his World Matchplay title in emphatic fashion on Sunday night in Blackpool by thrashing Gerwyn Price.
The Warrington sensation has dominated the sport since winning his first world title, aged 17, in January 2025, claiming 11 major championships.
Sky Sports has monopolised coverage of professional darts through its long-standing partnership with the PDC but the entry of Netflix into live coverage of the sport could provide competition in future.
It also promises to take darts to a more global audience amid increasing interest in the US and from institutional investors.
Matchroom sold a minority stake to Bruin Capital earlier this year in a move that Eddie Hearn told City PM he hoped would help it to grow darts further in North America.
The sport’s profile has been elevated by the emergence of Littler, who reached the final of the World Championship at Alexandra Palace in 2024 aged just 16.
He has since attracted a slew of commercial partnerships with brands including Xbox, Meta, KP Nuts and BoohooMan.
Earlier this year he signed a 10-year management deal with long-time sponsor Target Darts reported to be worth £20m.