Television ratings for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby took a hit this year, as viewership on NBC was down eight percent from last year’s race.
Sports Business Journal said NBC’s total audience of 14.8 million viewers for the race was down from 16 million last year. Viewership for this year’s race was still up two percent from the 14.5 million people that tuned in in 2021.
However, a streaming audience of 371,000 viewers across NBCU digital platforms set a record for a horse race, SBJ reported.
Mage, at 15-to-1 odds, won the race with a strong stretch run. NBC will broadcast the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, the next step in racing’s Triple Crown, on May 20.
A major storyline in the week leading up to the Derby was the deaths of seven horses at Churchill Downs for a variety of reasons. One trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr., was suspended indefinitely following the deaths of two of his horses just hours before horse racing’s main event occurred.
In spite of the viewership drop, the audience for this year’s race was the largest for a sporting event on TV since the Super Bowl in February. Derby viewership topped the UConn-San Diego State NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, the first round of the NFL Draft and the final round of the Masters.
Viewership peaked at 16.6 million viewers from 7-7:15pm ET during Saturday’s Derby, compared to last year’s high of 19 million.
–Field Level Media