Littler is a big deal

Earnings potential

Darts promoter Barry Hearn calls it the best Christmas present he's ever had.

"I'm so difficult to buy for, because I'm old and I've got most things I want," said Hearn, the top official of the Professional Darts Corporation. "Then someone gave me Luke Littler."

Littler is one of Britain's most recognizable people. He's the face of a new cereal, has a clothing sponsorship deal, and his image and trademark purple-and-yellow colors adorn accessories sold by Target Darts in toy shops across the country.

"He has opened doors to all the places darts has never been before," said Garry Plummer, chairman of Target Darts, which has sponsored Littler since the age of 12.

Experts say Littler's earnings potential is huge, and that he can lift the sport's appeal to new levels.

"He is one for the social-media age," Dan Plumley, sports finance expert at Sheffield Hallam University in England, said in a phone interview.

"He has been able to connect with footballers, with influencers; he has got people around him that are really in the social-media space for the younger generation."

Littler is putting the sport higher in the news agenda, too, bringing in more TV viewers — Sky Sports' audience peaked at 3.7 million for last year's world championship final, the pay-TV broadcaster's largest ever for a sport that isn't soccer — and making more kids want to play darts.