ESPN to Screen 2011 Winmau World Masters

Live and Exclusive from Hull Arena: September 2nd, 3rd & 4th

The 2011 Winmau World Masters will be shown live and exclusively by sports media company ESPN and extended to a four-day event from Thursday, September 1st to Sunday, September 4th (with one extra day of live coverage from Friday to Sunday) in a new broadcasting agreement with the British Darts Organisation. 

“After nine consecutive years with BBC Sport, the World Masters is moving to ESPN,” says Olly Croft, managing director of BDO Enterprises Ltd. “In thanking the BBC for establishing the World Masters as a TV favourite, we are now delighted to be forging a new and innovative broadcasting relationship with ESPN to provide an even bigger three-day tournament from a venue new to BDO darts for our players, officials and sponsors.”

The World Masters will be shown on ESPN live from Hull Arena on Friday, September 2nd, Saturday, September 3rd and Sunday, September 4th and heralds a new era of television exposure for BDO darts and its players.

The event will mark ESPN’s first live darts programming in the UK and confirms the sports broadcasters’ continued effort to broaden the range and variety of UK sports programming it offers fans.

ESPN’s live televised darts coverage will be led by Ray Stubbs, presenter of both the BDO World Professional Darts Championships and the Winmau World Masters for several years during his time with the BBC. All discussion and analysis will come live from the tournament, capturing the environment and connecting viewers to the unique atmosphere of live darts.