Major TV darts tournament undergoes radical rebrand with whole extra day of action as new format is revealed

PDC DARTS has announced a large rebrand of 1 of its televised tournaments.

The World Masters volition go a afloat ranking lawsuit successful 2025 and beryllium known nether a caller name.

Stephen Bunting is the reigning champion of the contention which was added to the televised PDC calendar successful 2013.

From adjacent year, it volition beryllium known arsenic The Winmau World Masters.

Winmau is the authoritative instrumentality supplier to the PDC and has signed a ten-year sponsor deal.

The institution archetypal sponsored the lawsuit - present televised annually connected ITV4 - mode backmost successful 1975.

Over the years, it has been won by darts legends including Eric Bristow, Dennis Priestley and Phil Taylor.

The new-look tourney volition diagnostic the apical 24 players connected the PDC Order of Merit pursuing the 2024/25 World Darts Championship.

It volition instrumentality spot betwixt January 30 and February 2 adjacent twelvemonth astatine Milton Keynes’ Marshall Arena.

PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter said: "We are delighted to stock our breathtaking plans for reintroducing the Winmau World Masters to the darts calendar, which I'm definite volition excite darts fans and players alike.

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"Since the opening of our moving narration with Winmau, we person discussed the thought of reviving this historical lawsuit which successful its heyday was 1 of the biggest prizes successful the sport.

"We person worked intimately with Winmau to follow arsenic galore characteristics of the archetypal format arsenic is applicable to, and successful keeping with its planetary nature."

The tournament's preliminary rounds volition spot up to 180 players from astir the satellite vie for 8 places successful the televised stages.

Per a PDC property release, the preliminary circular "will beryllium unfastened to each non-qualified PDC Tour Card Holders, the apical 8 players from each of the PDC's 2024 Secondary Tours and Global Affiliate Tours, positive 4 players from the Junior Darts Corporation."

Porter continued: "The Preliminary Rounds volition supply an accidental for players astir the satellite to play connected 1 of the sport's biggest stages.

"This event’s enlargement and alteration to a ranked lawsuit was different affirmative measurement for players connected the PDC circuit.

"With tickets selling retired successful grounds clip they tin look guardant to getting an accidental to radiance successful beforehand of a packed assemblage astatine the Marshall Arena adjacent year."

Vince Bluck, Winmau Managing Director, added: "The Winmau World Masters has been astatine the halfway of competitory darts for implicit fractional a period and the PDC’s plans to reconstruct the tone of this iconic lawsuit volition span the generations of darting excellence.

"We’re thrilled to beryllium moving intimately with the PDC, championing players astatine each level and crossed each large darting nation, successful enactment with the DNA of this historical event.

"The Winmau World Masters embodies everything that's large astir our sport.

"By combining this with the PDC’s showcase arena atmosphere, broadcast to millions of fans astir the world, we volition beryllium capable to captivate marque caller audiences and make unrivalled opportunities for much dart players successful this rapidly increasing sport."