Featured Image: Tim Bastian from Pixabay
Sports travel company Sportsbreaks.com claims that teenage sensation Luke Littler’s performances at the World Darts Championship has led to a 231% increase in traffic to its darts web pages.
Despite the 16-year-old eventually losing in the final to fellow Englishman and world number one Luke Humphries, the United Kingdom was captivated by his run as evidenced by the figures.
The deciding match at London’s Alexandra Palace attracted a viewing audience of 4.8 million people, a growth of 143% from the previous year.
It was broadcaster Sky Sports’ biggest ever viewership for a non-football event.
However, hype around Littler and the event was clear even before a dart had been thrown as Sportsbreaks.com recorded a 65% increase in ticket sales for the latest edition, which took place from December 15 to January 3.
“The last couple of weeks have been incredible for darts,” said Sportsbreaks.com managing director Rob Slawson.
“It’s a sport that is always popular among Sportsbreaks.com customers, but the increased focus in recent weeks has resulted in impressive growth and interest among fans.
“The rise of Luke Littler and the drama of the World Championships has undoubtedly contributed to this increased demand, and we’re proud to be able to offer fans an opportunity to get closer to the sports and the athletes they love.”
The sport has been attracting a younger demographic of fans too, with Sportsbreaks.com data finding that 55% of their darts packages are being bought by people under the age of 35.
Of that, 18% belong to the 18-25 age bracket.
Littler took home £200,000 ($254,000/€232,000) from his debut appearance at the World Championship.
He also flew up the world rankings, jumping up 133 places into 31st position.
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