THE PDC World Darts Championship has kicked off at the iconic Ally Pally - with the tournament now heading to the latter stages.
There have already been numerous shocks and surprises in this year's tournament with two-time winner Peter Wright already out and 16-year-old Luke Littler taking the darts world by storm.
In the 2022-23 competition, Michael Smith won a thriller to take the crown, beating Michael van Gerwen 7-4 to deny the Dutch master a fourth world title.
Smith hit an epic nine-darter during his clash with Van Gerwen, 34, who has not won the tournament since 2019.
Current world No 1 Smith is hoping he can defend his title, and all the usual suspects will be in the frame to win the coveted prize in London at the start of 2024.
Players like Gary Anderson and Gerwyn Price are also still in the frame to pick up Darts' biggest prize.
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When is the PDC World Darts Championship?
- The PDC Darts World Championships started on Friday, December 15 and will finish on Wednesday, January 3.
Where can I watch the 2023-2024 World Championship and can I stream it?
- You can watch the PDC World Darts Championship on Sky Sports Darts.
- Existing customers will be able to stream through the Now TV app and Sky Go app which is free to download to your mobile and tablet devices.
- Coverage started on Friday, December 15, at 7pm GMT.
- Afternoon sessions will then begin at 12.30pm GMT and evening sessions continuing at 7pm until the quarter-finals.
- The semi-finals will start at 7.30pm GMT on Tuesday, January 2.
- The final is on Wednesday, January 3 at 7pm.
Past winners
- 1994 - Dennis Priestley
- 1995 - Phil Taylor
- 1996 - Phil Taylor
- 1997 - Phil Taylor
- 1998 - Phil Taylor
- 1999 - Phil Taylor
- 2000 - Phil Taylor
- 2001 - Phil Taylor
- 2002 - Phil Taylor
- 2003 - John Part
- 2004 - Phil Taylor
- 2005 - Phil Taylor
- 2006 - Phil Taylor
- 2007 - Raymond van Barneveld
- 2008 - John Part
- 2009 - Phil Taylor
- 2010 - Phil Taylor
- 2011 - Adrian Lewis
- 2012 - Adrian Lewis
- 2013 - Phil Taylor
- 2014 - Michael van Gerwen
- 2015 - Gary Anderson
- 2016 - Gary Anderson
- 2017 - Michael van Gerwen
- 2018 - Rob Cross
- 2019 - Michael van Gerwen
- 2020 - Peter Wright
- 2021 - Gerwyn Price
- 2022 - Peter Wright
- 2023 - Michael Smith
How much beer do the Ally Pally crowds get through?
Over the course of the 19-day tournament, close to 90,000 fans will descend upon the Ally Pally to watch the World Championships.
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And it's estimated that a whopping half a million pints of lager will be drunk in that time.