The commercial free-to-air broadcaster, ITV is all set to continue to host five World Snooker Tour (WST) events in the United Kingdom for the next two years, following a new deal.
The agreement covers the Champion of Champions, World Grand Prix, Players Championship, Tour Championship, and British Open until 2024.
The agreement was negotiated by Matchroom Multi Sport and the Matchroom-owned WST.
WST Chairman, Steve Dawson, said, “(ITV’s) viewing figures for snooker are consistently excellent, and that is due to the exceptional quality of their coverage as well as the perpetual popularity of our sport as a viewing experience.”
Emily Frazer, Managing Director of Matchroom Multi Sport, commented, “The Champion of Champions has a burgeoning reputation as one of the most prestigious events on the calendar and we’re delighted to have the continued support of ITV which keeps this event on free-to-air TV in the UK.”
The prior two-year arrangement which was signed in 2021, consisted of a contract for ITV to continue broadcasting Professional Darts Corporation events such as the Masters, UK Open, European Championship, World Series of Darts, and Players Championship finals.
This is the newest in a series of deals for ITV, which has also recently managed to obtain non-exclusive free-to-air rights with European Professional Club Rugby. It also extended its rights agreement with the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in France, in addition to striking a three-year agreement with the National Football League (NFL) for free-to-air rights.