The tournament gets underway on Friday, with live and exclusive coverage right through to the final on Wednesday 1 January
Thursday 12 December 2019 10:22, UK
With Christmas just around the corner, that can only mean one thing - the return of the darts!
To celebrate, Sky Sports have confirmed the return of Sky Sports Darts - a channel dedicated exclusively to the darts, ahead of the 2019/2020 William Hill World Darts Championship.
Sky Sports Arena will be rebranded from Thursday 12 December, running through to Friday 3 January 2020 and as well as live coverage of every arrow thrown in north London they'll be a host of supporting programming.
The 2019/20 World Darts Championship kicks off on Friday 13 December and culminates with the traditional New Year's Day final at Alexandra Palace and viewers can see every minute of the action live on the dedicated Sky Sports Darts channel.
Twenty-two days of non-stop darts will focus on live coverage but also feature highlights as well as classic matches and special documentaries, including a brilliant look back on the career of Raymond van Barneveld, the five-time world champion who is playing in his last ever World Championship.
Sky Sports Main Event & Sky One will also broadcast the live action on certain days to further complement this coverage which will be hosted by Dave Clark, David Croft and Laura Woods.
16 days of live action will feature 12 bumper double sessions of afternoon and evening darts and Sky Sports have assembled a team to keep you informed, entertained and up to speed.
Laura Turner and Devon Petersen will join the usual commentary team at Ally Pally, which includes expert analysis from Wayne Mardle, John Part, Mark Webster and Rod Harrington alongside Rod Studd, Stuart Pyke and Nigel Pearson.
One of the big stories ahead of this year's showpiece is Barney bowing out of the sport after the competition, and he's hoping for a fairy-tale finish.
"Darts has been my life and this is my last shot at World Championship glory. Knowing millions of fans will follow my final journey in the sport on Sky Sports Darts is something special - I just want to prolong my stay at Ally Pally for as long as possible," said the 52-year-old.
"Winning in my final tournament would be amazing! Being crowned the 2007 champion was an incredible experience, and I hope the viewers enjoy this year's tournament as well as the documentaries and classic matches. I'm sure Sky Sports will have my 2007 title win on there!"
Barneveld's compatriot Michael van Gerwen, the reigning world champion, is eyeing a fourth Alexandra Palace triumph on New Year's Day and he can't wait to defend his crown.
"It's always a fantastic time over the festive period at Ally Pally. The fans, the atmosphere and the darts are unbelievable. If you can't be there, Sky Sports Darts is your destination from December 12 to January 3. I hope to be there on New Year's Day in the final and defend my title!"
Check out daily Darts news on skysports.com/darts, our app for mobile devices and our Twitter account @skysportsdarts - the action is back on your Sky Sports screens in December with the World Championship from Alexandra Palace. It all gets underway on Friday, December 13.
