After hitting a six-year low in the overnights, final ratings for the 2012 Kentucky Derby finished above last year.
The race portion of the Kentucky Derby drew a 9.0 final rating and 14.8 million viewers on NBC Saturday evening, up 6% in ratings and 2% in viewership from last year (8.5, 14.539M), but down 8% and 11%, respectively, from 2010 (9.8, 16.540M).
The telecast ranks as the third-most viewed Kentucky Derby since 1990, trailing only 2010 and 2009 (16.288M). After drawing at least fourteen million viewers only once from 1991 to 2007, the Kentucky Derby has hit that mark in each of the past five years.
The increase for this year’s race comes after the overnight rating declined by 7%.
The Kentucky Derby finished with a higher rating and more viewers than the final round of The Masters (8.0, 13.487M), the Daytona 500 (8.0, 13.669), four of the seven games of the 2011 World Series, and three of the five 2012 BCS bowls.
Louisville (KY) led all markets for Saturday’s telecast with a 31.7 rating. By comparison, Kentucky’s win in the NCAA Tournament National Championship Game drew a 51.1.
Cincinnati (18.3), Ft. Myers (FL) (17.0), and Hartford, West Palm Beach and Buffalo (13.4 each) rounded out the top five.
(Saturday’s numbers from NBC Sports Group press release)
