Manchester car leasing firm bags key Sky Sports Darts partnership

Leasing Options, the Manchester-HQ’d car leasing company, has announced a major new partnership with Sky Sports, becoming the official sponsor of Sky Sports Darts for 12 months from February 2026 to January 2027.

The sponsorship, brokered by Sky Media, is a major investment and a key part of Leasing Options’ brand strategy, building on a year of significant brand-building activity and momentum. It is designed to accelerate the company’s ambition to become a household name, aligning with the scale and credibility of Sky Sports as one of the most recognised names in UK sport and entertainment.

Leasing Options will feature across Sky Sports Darts coverage on linear TV, pub feeds, Sky Go and video on demand. The sponsorship will also deliver strong visibility across Sky Sports’ digital and social platforms, including home page takeovers for each competition and presence across the Sky Sports website, app and YouTube, alongside Official Sponsorship of the Sky Sports ‘Love the Darts’ podcast.

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Mike Thompson, Chief Operating Officer at Leasing Options, said “This is a significant moment for Leasing Options and a partnership we are genuinely proud of.

“Over the last 12 months we have made a major investment in our brand because we are focused on making Leasing Options a household name, and there are few platforms with the scale, trust and reach of Sky Sports.”

Leasing Options has spent the last 12 months testing which messages and ideas people best respond to, and this partnership takes that learning onto a much bigger stage, putting Leasing Options in front of a fast-growing and highly engaged darts audience across TV, streaming and social media.

The timing also reflects how quickly darts is growing, particularly since Cheshire teen prodigy Luke Littler captured the nation’s imagination, and the investment Sky is making to keep building the sport. Darts is now firmly mainstream, with big tournament audiences and more people watching highlights and content online as well as live.

Sky Sports’ digital and social channels reach around 55 percent of the UK population, which means Leasing Options will be seen regularly by a huge number of people through the partnership.

Thompson added: “We have tested our audiences and the response has been overwhelming, which is why this feels like such a natural fit. Sky Sports Darts has seen phenomenal growth and Sky is investing heavily to support that.

“As a family business, this is a big step for us, and we are really looking forward to the next 12 months and working in partnership to deliver something that fans will enjoy.”

The partnership will also build on Leasing Options’ recent work with comedian Justin Moorhouse, who will continue collaborating with the business following the success of its latest TV advertising. As part of the campaign, he will also make a series of darts-themed guest appearances across launch and ongoing content.

Karin Seymour, director of client and marketing at Sky Media, added: “Darts is one of the fastest growing sports on Sky, and continues to go from strength to strength. We see an increasingly diverse and engaged fan base, driving record TV viewership and online engagement. Our new partnership with Leasing Options allows them to connect with this new wave of fans and be at the heart of all Darts conversation.”

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