World Snooker prize money increase highlights growth, says Barry Hearn

World Snooker has increased prize money by over £1m and chairman Barry Hearn believes the sport's growth is allowing players to earn "more than ever".

The world's elite players shared a prize pool of £13.3m in 2018-19 but the figure will rise to £14.4m in 2019-20.

There will also be two separate £1m bonus prizes on offer depending on player performance over the season.

"Our success is reflected in the prize money increases we have made this season," said Hearn.

"The top players are earning more than ever - with Judd Trump becoming the first player to earn more than £1m last season.

"But we are also increasing the rewards in the early rounds of tournaments, evident in the fact that 59 players have earned over £100,000 on the two-year money list.

"Our sport continues to grow, our global audience has reached half a billion in over 120 countries. We have had spectacular commercial success over the past decade, bearing in mind that 10 years ago the sport had six ranking events and £3.5m total prize money."

The 2019-20 season will include 19 rankings tournaments and six invitational events.

A £1m bonus is on offer for any player who wins all four Home Nations events, while a further £1m bonus will be split among players who make a 147 break if at least 20 maximums are made during the campaign.

Prize money for the Betfred World Championship has reached a record £2.4m with the winner's share remaining the same as in 2018 at £500,000.