Fans Demand Instant Bahrain Masters Coverage Change After 'Awful' Decision

Fans have been reacting on social media after watching the action from the first day of the 2026 Bahrain Darts Masters.

A few weeks after Luke Littler defended his PDC World Darts Championship crown by beating Gian van Veen 7-1 at the Alexandra Palace, London, the 2026 season is underway.

On Thursday, the Bahrain Darts Masters began, with Stephen Bunting looking to defend his crown. He will begin his quest for back-to-back titles against Japanese star Ryusei Azemoto.

Meanwhile, the likes of Littler, Van Veen, Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall, Luke Humphries, Danny Noppert, and Michael van Gerwen are also in action.

The first match of the tournament was played between Welshman Price and Japan's Motomu Sakai, who made a name for himself during the PDC World Darts Championship due to his walk-on routine.

However, fans were left baffled by the live broadcast's scoreboard while watching Price vs Sakai.

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Reacting on social media, one fan said: "Please get rid of this scoreboard @ITV on the bahrain darts."

Another tweeted: "Bahrain Darts Masters Rolls "Worst Scoreboard Ever"."

A third fan added: "Very poor scoreboard, very poor commentary at the Bahrain Darts Masters, let’s hope the darts make up for it."

Someone else wrote: "What the f**k is that scoreboard?"

However, one user was a fan of the new graphic, saying: "Loving those scoreboard graphics on the Bahrain Darts Masters. Looks F1 themed."

Price survives the Sakai scare!

A strong performance from Motomu Sakai, but Gerwyn Price prevails as he takes a 6-4 win to reach the Quarter-Finals...

📺 https://t.co/XzyoZs6rU3#BahrainDarts | R1 pic.twitter.com/8b1yG1jRS8

— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 15, 2026

Speaking about the Bahrain Masters, Littler said: "I’ve been chilling out, throwing a few darts and I’ll be ready for tomorrow.When I came here two years ago I was coming here after the defeat to Luke [Humphries], and people were wondering if that run was a fluke, so that was a big moment for me.

“I couldn’t defend my title last year, but hopefully I can start the new 2026 season with a win.”