After a double-digit drop in the overnights, final ratings for The Belmont Stakes held up relatively well on NBC.
The race portion of the 2013 Belmont Stakes earned a 4.5 final rating and 7.0 million viewers on NBC Saturday afternoon, down 6% in ratings and 9% in viewership from last year (4.8, 7.7M), but up 5% and 13%, respectively, from 2011 (4.3, 6.8M).
Excluding years when the Triple Crown was at stake, the race ranks as the third-most viewed edition of The Belmont Stakes since at least 1987 — trailing only last year and 2005 (7.7M).
With that said, the race also ranks as the third-least viewed Triple Crown race on NBC since the network began airing coverage in 2001, ahead of only the 2011 Belmont and 2001 Belmont (6.8M). Keep in mind ABC aired The Belmont Stakes from 2006-10.
The Belmont Stakes accounts for the five least-viewed Triple Crown races on NBC — a notable mark, considering that NBC has only aired the race eight times.
For the weekend, The Belmont Stakes was the top sporting event on any network outside of the NBA Finals. Even Wednesday’s Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final (3.9, 6.8M) fell short of Saturday’s numbers.
Least-Viewed Triple Crown Races on NBC
Since the network began airing the Triple Crown in 2001
(Saturday’s numbers from Sports Business Daily)
