For the third time in five years, over sixteen million viewers watched the first race of the Triple Crown.
The race portion of the 2013 Kentucky Derby drew a 9.7 final rating and 16.2 million viewers on NBC last Saturday, up 8% in ratings and 9% in viewership from last year (9.0, 14.8M), and up 14% and 12%, respectively, from 2011 (8.5, 14.5M).
The race is tied as the second-highest rated Kentucky Derby since 1992 (10.3), and ranks as the second-most viewed since 1989 (18.5M) — surpassed only by the 2010 race in both categories (9.8, 16.5M).
As mentioned before, 2013 marked the third time in five years that the Kentucky Derby has drawn at least 16 million viewers. From 1990 to 2008, the most-viewed edition of the race earned 15.6 million.
Overall, the Kentucky Derby is tied as the ninth-most viewed sporting event (excluding the NFL and the Olympics) over the past year. By comparison, final round coverage of The Masters — the most recent high-profile sporting event — earned a 9.4 and 14.7 million on CBS.
10 Most-Viewed Sporting Events (Excluding the NFL and Olympics)
Past year (5/4/12-5/4/13)
| # | Date | Sport/Event | Game/Race | Net | Rating | Viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon., 1/7/13 | NCAAF: BCS Champ. | Alabama/Notre Dame | ESPN |
15.1
|
26.4M
|
| 2 | Mon., 4/8/13 | NCAAB: Final Four | Louisville/Michigan | CBS |
14.0
|
23.4M
|
| 3 | Thu., 6/21/12 | NBA: NBA Finals | Thunder/Heat G5 | ABC |
10.9
|
18.4M
|
| 4 | Tue., 6/19/12 | NBA: NBA Finals | Thunder/Heat G4 | ABC |
10.5
|
17.5M
|
| 5 | Sat., 4/6/13 | NCAAB: Final Four | Michigan/Syracuse | CBS |
10.2
|
17.1M
|
| 6 | Tue., 1/1/13 | NCAAF: Rose Bowl | Stanford/Wisconsin | ESPN |
9.4
|
17.0M
|
| T7 | Thu., 6/14/12 | NBA: NBA Finals | Heat/Thunder G2 | ABC |
10.4
|
16.7M
|
| T7 | Sun., 2/24/13 | NASCAR: Sprint Cup | Daytona 500 | FOX |
9.9
|
16.7M
|
| T9 | Tue., 6/12/12 | NBA: NBA Finals | Heat/Thunder G1 | ABC |
9.9
|
16.2M
|
| T9 | Sat., 12/1/12 | NCAAF: Reg. Season | Alabama/Georgia | CBS |
9.8
|
16.2M
|
| T9 | Sat., 5/4/13 | Triple Crown | Kentucky Derby | NBC |
9.7
|
16.2M
|
(Sat. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
