Presenter Jacqui Oatley, 50, axed by ITV as broadcaster announces ENTIRE team will be changed for sport coverage
Presenter Jacqui Oatley has announced she is leaving ITV Sport after a decade of employment.
Oatley, 50, is also one of the casualties as ITV is due to stop producing its own PDC darts broadcast next year.
Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom company will take control of broadcasting from next year, but some content will still be available for free on ITV4 and ITVX.
Oatley wrote of X: ‘Returning home for the last time from an ITV Sport stint after ten years with a brilliant production team.
‘The first three years were spent delivering football with darts, darts and darts, including Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup.
‘I can’t tell you how grateful I am to work with such wonderful people. The producers, led by Phil Heslop, are incredible; directors, spotters, pundits, commentators, the crew behind the scenes, the sound guys, the graphics crew, Jonesy (who scolded me for being an inch from where I was standing) – everyone.
Jacqui Oatley set to leave ITV Sport as they stop producing their own darts broadcasts
‘They are always smiling while working hard; Most importantly, they care about output. Because that’s what it’s all about: the viewer’s experience.
‘We hope our true enjoyment has been met. Now I can go back to football, but I will still go to darts. He’s holding a beer mug instead of a microphone. Goodbye for now x.’
The European Championship Finals, Players Championship Finals and World Masters are among the tournaments that will continue to be broadcast for free, even if Hearn’s company is responsible for the broadcast.
No statement has been made about who will appear in the news, but Oatley’s statement indicates that it will not be him.
Sky Sports has also renewed its deal for the World Championship, World Cup of Darts, Premier League and Grand Slam, among other tournaments, for another five years.
Oatley joined ITV Sport in 2015, broadcasting football shows on ITV4 and hosting broadcasts on the broadcaster’s main channel.
Before that, he worked freelance for them, covering the FA Cup and Africa Cup of Nations.
In 2007, she became the first female commentator to appear on BBC’s Match of the Day programme. She has since described the ‘isolating’ experience of being introduced as a female commentator, which was discussed in news stories across the country.
Oatley has been with the broadcaster for nearly a decade and covers football as well as darts
His other duties include covering Fox Sports’ 2022 World Cup coverage and commentating for TNT Sports and BBC Radio 5 Live. He was awarded an MBE in 2016.
ITV is going in a different direction with darts but Oatley’s experience is likely to appeal to other broadcasters.
PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter said earlier this month: ‘We are delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with ITV with the new agreement which will take our partnership beyond 20 years.
‘With more interest in darts than ever before, we’re delighted to be able to offer many of our popular events for free to fans across the UK.’
ITV Director of Sport Niall Sloane said: ‘We are delighted to expand and extend our live darts coverage on ITV Sport as we look to broadcast the biggest events in professional darts free-to-air for UK audiences to enjoy.
‘We have a great relationship with Professional Darts Corporation and look forward to continuing our work with them in 2028.’
