One hundred and eighty: Gravity Media on hitting the production bullseye at the World Darts Championship 2025-26 By Heather McLean
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 12:05
Print This Story
Sky Sports and the PDC announced a five-year partnership extension, keeping Sky Sports as the home of darts until 2030, marking nearly 40 years of collaboration
The 2025-26 PDC World Darts Championship, which takes place from 11 December 2025 to 3 January 2026, sees reigning champion Luke Littler returning to defend the title he captured last year.
In February this year, shortly after Littler lifted the trophy at the Alexandra Palace in London (affectionally known as Ally Pally' to locals and darts fans alike), Sky Sports and the PDC announced a five-year partnership extension keeping Sky Sports as the home of darts until 2030, marking nearly 40 years of collaboration.
Long history
Gravity Media has worked with Sky Sports on its darts coverage for many years, as Gravity Media now, and in its previous guises as EMG and before that, CTV.
Jon Giles, Gravity Media staff unit manager and client manager for Sky Sports, tells SVG Europe that the relationship between Gravity Media and the broadcaster is an important one. We have supported Sky over many years to hone their coverage, partnering with them to help bring this sport which has quite a particular subculture to a wider audience, says Giles.
We want to present Sky Sports with a really solid, reliable, technical platform for them to work on, from the OB truck to all the equipment that goes with it, and [Sky Sports] expects us to provide similar core crew regularly so they've got people who are really, really attuned to their requirements. I think making sure that we're consistently delivering in a repeatable way so that crew can walk into the truck, or they can walk into the production gallery and sit down and do what is quite a specific way of operating, particularly from the directing point of view, is important.
Giles adds: Darts obviously has a massive, massive appeal, particularly in the last couple of years. Sky Sports are very happy and the PDC are very happy because the viewing of it has mushroomed over the last few years.
The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) World Darts Championship 2025-26 is now underway at Ally Pally, with host broadcaster Sky Sports and the team from its technical services provider, Gravity Media
Speed of the essence
Speed is the major challenge of capturing the PDC World Darts competition for Sky Sports, says Giles. He explains: It's a sport that is very, very fast paced, and from what I can tell, that's increased over recent years with particular players who are on the circuit now who physically throw the darts fast; some of them can throw three darts in three or four seconds. It's not like snooker where you're waiting for someone to take a shot!
The speed of the game means a strong team needs to be assembled for every darts competition, with The World's as the flagship event, to ensure everything goes smoothly. Giles says: That means you need a very experienced and competent team who are not only technically good at operating their equipment, but who really understand the sport. What we've developed with Sky over our tenure of working on these [events] has been a good core of both staff and freelance operators, and that's across all areas; across cameras, which you think is the obvious point as that needs a lot of fast movement and quick reaction times, but also the EVS operators, as the turnaround is the true definition of what an instant replay is.
The venues can also be a challenge, as many are landmark buildings without many of the accoutrements of modern, purpose-built venues. Technically some of the venues are harder to work in than others, and that's by the nature of choosing to be in venues for their particular character, notes Giles. I mean, the Winter Gardens at Blackpool is not dissimilar to Ally Pally because it's a big, old venue that has got particular infrastructure [that was developed for] a certain way of working in a certain age, which isn't as easy to work in as a big modern arena like the O2, or similar.
Prior to the start of The Worlds, Gravity Media needed to pre-rig the venue with reference to its age and sometimes awkward layout, all while carefully avoiding another event that was running in the same space that the darts would takeover a few days later.
Speaking the week before the event, Giles explains how it is all working: Normally we would go in and do a complete cable pre-rig when no one else is there, because working in Alexandra Palace [the challenge] is just the scale of it, getting cables into ducts and over roofs etc. It's easier when no other contractors are there, but The Mosconi Cup [Tuesday 2 December to Friday 5 December] is in there at the moment, which is a pool competition. We're having to work around their set up; we've got a team in there today rigging when there's no play happening, and then they'll finish and they'll come back.
Our main buildup starts on Sunday [7 December] with more cable rigging and parking the trucks. This is followed by three really full rig days. The third day will be on Wednesday, when we will be finished, to complete the rig and check all facilities. Then we'll hand over the facilities to the production team in the early afternoon, they'll do some of their own checks, and then we're into it for 20 days of transmission from Thursday 11 December.
Getting into the rhythm
This is a big production over many days, and it takes some time for the crew to settle into the rhythm of the event, Giles says. We'll be doing 144 hours of live television. Once things are bedded in, we've got a large team of crew across it. We're
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
One hundred and eighty: Gravity Media on hitting the production bullseye at the World Darts Championship 2025-26 By Heather McLean 
