Darts fans are known for their passionate opinions, and a recent update to ITV’s darts coverage proved no exception. While a new broadcast team led by Gabby Partington was introduced, it was an unexpected villain that stole the show: a redesigned, circular scoreboard graphic. This modern, information-packed display, intended to refresh the viewing experience, instead sparked a massive backlash online, with many viewers finding it too busy, confusing, and a drastic departure from tradition.
Darts fans are a unique breed, known for their unwavering loyalty and, perhaps even more so, their penchant for a good moan. Give a dedicated tungsten enthusiast a few minutes, and they’ll likely find something to critique. Over the years, almost every aspect of the sport has faced scrutiny, from walk-on music and player shirts to interview styles and even camera angles.
It’s a testament to the passionate nature of the community that opinion truly is king. While the Premier League selection process often reigns as the undisputed champion of online outrage, a constant hum of background noise targets everything from commentators and camera shots to graphics, fonts, and the overall ‘vibe’ of a broadcast.
So, when ITV unveiled its refreshed darts broadcast team for 2026, fronted by the new presenter Gabby Partington, many might have expected the critics to focus on the human element. Surprisingly, the real controversy emerged from an unexpected source: the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
The Scoreboard Uproar: A Graphic Gone Wrong?
Yes, the culprit was the new scoreboard. ITV introduced a circular-themed, redesigned, modernised, and information-packed scoreboard – and the darts social media world collectively lost its mind.
In the world of darts, ‘different’ is often perceived as ‘dangerous,’ and ‘change’ is inherently ‘suspicious.’ Anything unfamiliar is immediately guilty until proven innocent, and even then, it often struggles to gain full acceptance. The new graphic dared to stray from the established norm, and that alone was enough to ignite a firestorm of criticism.
What made the backlash particularly striking was that the new graphic actually aimed to be more informative. It clearly displayed:
- Player names
- Nationalities (indicated by flags, assuming viewer familiarity)
- Leg and match scores
- The current format of the game
- The tournament name
These are, arguably, all the useful pieces of information a viewer needs. However, for many, logical considerations had already left the building.
Fan Reactions: Overwhelmed and Annoyed
The online response was swift and largely negative. Here’s a glimpse into some of the common complaints:
- “It’s awful as it’s difficult to see the scores. Too much crammed into the stupid shape to represent a sport that we are not watching.” Many felt the circular design made the scores hard to read and the overall display too cluttered.
- “Too busy with colour, an assault on the senses which is not necessary. Not a fan of this one!!!” The new aesthetic was described as overwhelming and visually distracting.
- Some viewers felt it was trying to emulate graphics from other sports, like Formula 1, suggesting it didn’t fit the traditional darts viewing experience.
To be fair, not everyone joined the chorus of disapproval. A small number of fans expressed their liking for the fresh look, and a few others remained indifferent. However, their voices were largely drowned out by the sheer volume of people who felt genuinely wronged by a box of pixels on their screen.
The Unwritten Rule of Darts Coverage
And so, another darts debate reached its inevitable, passionate conclusion. It seems you can change major aspects of the sport – the format of a tournament, the venue, the country it’s held in, or even the prize money – with less widespread uproar than a seemingly minor alteration to a scoreboard graphic.
The moral of the story for broadcasters and production teams? When it comes to darts coverage, the safest and perhaps most predictable move is often to do absolutely nothing at all, especially when it comes to visual elements fans have grown accustomed to.
Source: Based on an article from Darts World Magazine.
