Phil Taylor to top bill in Blackpool as tournament secures free-to-air coverage

Darts fans can look forward to watching a new tournament starring Phil Taylor on terrestrial TV next year.

The burgeoning World Seniors Tour has added a new event to its 2023 schedule, joining the World Championship, World Masters and World Matchplay. The new event, staged at Blackpool’s Viva entertainment venue on March 25 and 26, will be called the Champions of Champions. The tournament will feature eight players, with five of the spots already confirmed.

Taylor will be joined by World Seniors and World Matchplay winner Robert Thornton, World Masters champion David Cameron, three-time world BDO king Martin Adams and 10-time women’s world champion Trina Gulliver.

READ MORE: Phil Taylor to star as World Championship darts returns to BBC TV

Two further invitation spots will be confirmed in due course while the final place will be decided in a special Golden Ticket qualifier at Viva on March 24.

Tickets have already gone on sale but fans who can’t make it to Blackpool will be able to watch the action on free-to-air TV after Channel 5 secured the rights to the tournament.

The news is another boost to darts fans who don’t subscribe to Sky Sports after it was announced that the BBC would broadcast the next World Seniors Championship in February across its platforms.

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Billy Lovell of World Seniors Darts said: “We have been inundated with messages to host an event in Blackpool, a town steeped in darting history.

“We are delighted also to be working with Channel 5 to broadcast the Champion of Champions. This is a great opportunity for us to continue to grow our audience via a free-to-air broadcaster.

Taylor, a losing finalist in World Masters and Matchplay earlier this year, has happy memories of Blackpool, where he won the World Matchplay at the Winter Gardens a staggering 16 times.

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