They have dropped that for this

The first Champions League of Darts will be broadcast live across the BBC in what is being billed as an "exciting new era" for the sport.

The eight-player tournament will be held in Cardiff on 24-25 September.

It will feature the leading eight players from the PDC Order of Merit come the end of July's World Matchplay, and the champion will earn £100,000.

The decision to broadcast the new event means the BBC will cease to cover the BDO World Championship.

PDC chairman Barry Hearn said the "very best players" will be participating in the Champions League of Darts, which he called an "exciting, quick-fire tournament".

Soccer Saturday to be shown free to air tomorrow for start of new PL season - Sky 1 and Pick on Freeview

The Living and the Dead not being renewed by the BBC so as to make way for new drama ie it was crap!

Including +1:
The Cruise (Repeat): 1.8m (9.2%)
Celebrity Big Brother: 1.7m (8.2%)
999: What's Your Emergency?: 1.4m (7%)
Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans (Repeat): 1.3m (6.4%)

The 80s with Dominic Sandbrook: 1.1m (5.1%)

All the stars went to PDC. The BDO has been running on fumes for years.

Plus its ratings were in the toilet.

Only the 3pm results portion though. Some would say it's the most important part but I like watching all of it.

A Radio Times article suggests it starts on August 28th. So that is potentially Bank Holiday weekend. Digiguide updates today so we'll know soon enough.

Expected but still a shame for those of us who watched. Unresolved cliff hangers for a series are always a pain.

Posts like these can't help but sound like a bit of a hostage to fortune. Why is that the case? We don't know what the sitcoms are like or what the competition will be. Sounds like you're basing that on the default BBC1 audience theory again. But if they're creating an attractive schedule audiences want to watch, what's the problem?



Yes, they may not be showing the BDO darts but they're still showing darts, and it's better darts to boot. It's about quality, not quantity. I think this is a great deal for the BBC.

I have no idea why it's turned up on C4 whose sporting strategy looks increasingly incoherent and I don't know what it means for C4's remit. I thought Formula One was a strange thing for them to be buying given it appeals firmly to white middle-class men, a sector of the audience already super-served. Now they're buying darts. How does that possibly fit into any definition of this channel's remit?

I always say programmes develop a default audience rather than channels overall.

With regards to the sitcom season Young Hyacinth might bet he one to kick it off. There will certainly be some curiosity factor regarding ratings. How will they be scheduled?


Much, MUCH better darts with PDC. I swear with BDO it felt like they left the door open and anybody could walk in for a game. It's only two days on. BBC2 but it's two days with great darts and great darts' stars.

Channel 4's remit now is ratings at all costs. A few quota things here and there but they want bums on seats too. Always felt the new style Channel 4 started with Michael Grade.

Steve do you know how The Olympics is doing in daytime with Breakfast and on BBC1 in the afternoon? Are extra viewers around?

also on facebook and you tube

I didn't know that. Where is the You Tube link?

Channel 5 Programme Information
w/c 27th August

New & Returning:
* Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! (New Episodes)
* Police Interceptors (New Series)
* The Cars That Made Britain Great (New Series)
* Gangland: Turf Wars (New Series)
* Inside the White House (New Series)
* Gypsy Kids: Our Secret World (New Series)
* Most Shocking Celebrity Moments (New Series)
* Celebrity Botched Up Bodies (New Series)
* Carry On Caravanning (New Series)
* Wildman: Extreme Adventurer (New to Spike)

Source: C5 Press.

2 Golds in the Rowing this afternoon should drive a few more viewers Olympics way tonight to see if Bradley Wiggins and the team can pick up another

This weekend could be as successful as it was in 2012 tho the 3 main guys In the Athletics, Mo, Jessica and Greg will all be going for Gold after Midnight so the viewership wont be super high but the share would be massive

We said that about the opening ceremony

Looks like a bit of quality has slipped through by accident. Careless of them!

Victoria is now most definitely confirmed for Sunday 28th August at 9pm according to ITV Press.

So is clearly scheduled to get the jump on Poldark. So Autumn looks like the battle of the period dramas on Sunday.

The feature length Casualty on August 27 at 8 - 9.50 BBC One

Interesting stuff. Slightly surprised they're launching it on a Bank Holiday, but then I guess it was probably still preferable to going head to head with Poldark right from the off. ITV certainly seem to be putting a lot into it. I'm not entirely convinced it'll do brilliantly (although it should do OK) - I can see it losing to Poldark most weeks.

8 parters Cold Feet and Paranoid are both launching in September, as is new 6 parter The Level and the new series of DCI Banks. Quite a lot of drama to fit in, which is a nice problem to have, but hopefully nothing gets overshadowed.


Presumably against X Factor. You'd expect Casualty to get a boost for an episode like that and with X Factor on the decline that could be closer than you might expect.

OK, here are some Olympics (and other) ratings I've dug out from yesterday. Please note I do not have the time, inclination nor resources to report these every day, before anyone expects daily updates on Good Morning Britain for all eternity.

Thursday 12am-4am (ie, Wednesday night) - 836,000

Olympic Breakfast - 1.64m (the peak quarter hour was 8.30-8.45, 2.18m)
Good Morning Britain - 448,000

BBC2 replay 9.15am-1pm 750,000

BBC1 1.45-6pm 2.30m
Pointless 1.49m
Cash Trapped 1.66m

Please do not use these Olympic-affected figures out of context after the Olympics to suggest GMB/Pointless are doing badly or Breakfast is declining. I know some posters will anyway.


And it did get a massive share!

Casualty actually has a good chance, it's a massive episode with a huge stunt.

I agree, although I think the best part is at around 11:57 when they cut to Jeff in the studio and he's usually doing something funny.