With NBA competition perhaps to blame, Kentucky Derby ratings tied a 12-year low on NBC.
Saturday’s Kentucky Derby race segment scored an 8.5 rating and 14.9 million viewers on NBC, per Nielsen fast-nationals — down 9% in ratings and viewership from last year (9.3, 16.4M) and down 6% and 4% respectively from 2016 (9.0, 15.5M).
Justify‘s win tied 2011 as the lowest rated Kentucky Derby in 12 years (2006: 8.4) and ranks as the least-watched in six (2012: 14.8M).
The race had a record streaming audience of 123,000 on NBC Sports’ digital platform, bringing the combined audience up to 15.0 million — still the smallest since 2012.
Viewership peaked at 17.5 million from 6:45-7 PM ET, down 8% from the same quarter-hour last year (19.1M).
The Derby aired directly opposite ESPN’s Celtics-Sixers NBA playoff game, figures for which were not immediately available. The race did not face NBA competition last year. In 2016, when it aired opposite a lower-profile Raptors-Heat game, the Derby had a 9.0 and 15.5 million.
Despite the lower numbers, the Derby still outdrew the final round of the Masters, which had a 7.9 and 13.0 million last month. Granted, that is an apples-to-oranges comparison given the Masters airs for several hours and the Derby for about 45 minutes (6:22-7:10 PM ET). Even so, the Derby’s peak quarter-hour topped that of the Masters (16.8M).
Kentucky Derby Ratings, Viewership
Since NBC began airing race in 2001
