LADBROKES WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP vs LAKESIDE WORLD PROFESSIONAL DARTS CHAMPIONSHIPS: The 2012 Ladbrokes World Darts Championship, run by the PDC, got underway this week - and will soon be followed by a rival world championship, run by the BDO, in January.
The BDO (British Darts Organisation) is the governing body for the sport of darts in Britain and hosts the Lakeside World Professional Darts Championships, just five days after the PDC’s (Professional Darts Corporation) showcase final on January 2, 2012.
The battle between the two event promoters has raged since 1994, and thus far, the PDC has gained the bigger commercial numbers.
Frontloaded estimates that Ladbrokes pay around half the £1 million prize money event to title sponsor the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship, which is screened live on Sky Sports HD and boasts the sports’ number one attraction, Phil Taylor, a 15-time world champion, as well as five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld.
The BDO version is worth around £350,000 in prize money and tends to attract fewer stellar names.
It is partnered by online bingo brand jackpotjoy.com, darts-maker Winmau and most notably, Carlsberg UK, which this year agreed a three-year deal to make Holsten Vier the Official Beer of the Lakeside World Professional Darts Championships.
Starting with the 2012 championships, the Holsten Vier logo will appear on shirts worn by competitors and staff during the Championships which will broadcast in front of a worldwide audience watching on the BBC, ESPN, Eurosport and Eurosport Asia.
That said, the core audience targeted by Carlsberg, is the avid viewership to be found in on-trade outlets - British males watching in local pubs and clubs.
You need to have a subscription to access this content
