The second leg of the Triple Crown stumbled out of the gates in the metered markets.
The race portion of The Preakness Stakes earned a 4.9 overnight rating on NBC Saturday afternoon, down 21% from last year (6.2), down 16% from 2015 (5.8), and the lowest overnight for the race since it moved to NBC in 2001. The previous low was a 5.5 in 2012.
The 4.9 is also the fourth-lowest for any Triple Crown race on NBC (45 telecasts dating back to 2001), ahead of only The Belmont Stakes last year (4.3), in 2013 (4.6) and in 2011 (4.8).
The low numbers are a stark reversal from the Kentucky Derby, which posted its second-best overnight in 25 years.
Cloud Computing‘s upset win peaked with a 6.2 from 6:45-7 PM ET, down 23% from last year’s peak (8.0) and down 18% from 2015 (7.6). Despite the lower numbers, it was the top sporting event of Saturday night, topping Warriors-Spurs in the NBA Conference Finals.
Host market Baltimore led all markets Saturday with a 14.6 rating, down 26% from last year (19.7) and down 13% from 2015 (16.8). Louisville ranked second with a 13.2, down 13% from last year (14.6) but up 11% from 2015 (11.9). Ft. Myers, Fla. (12.0, -12%), West Palm Beach, Fla. (9.0, -13%) and Orlando (7.7, -13%) rounded out the top five. Nashville, which was awaiting a Predators playoff game, cracked the top ten at a 6.5; last year, none of the top ten markets was below an 8.7.
[Sat. numbers from NBC Sports]
