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Always Dreaming’s victory in the Kentucky Derby posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) average of 16.5 million viewers across NBC and NBC Sports Digital platforms – marking the largest Kentucky Derby audience since 1989 (18.5 million viewers for Sunday Silence’s win on ABC).
For the second consecutive year, NBC aired a Stanley Cup Playoff game in primetime after the Kentucky Derby. With Saturday’s puck drop shortly after Always Dreaming’s victory, Game 5 of the Penguins-Capitals second-round series delivered a Total Audience Delivery average of 4.365 million viewers, making it the most-watched early-round Stanley Cup Playoff game in People Meter history (1993).
TAD measures consumption across multiple platforms, combining the average minute audience for television and digital.
Following are viewership highlights from NBC Sports’ Super Saturday:
KENTUCKY DERBY
TV-only Kentucky Derby viewership peaked at 19.1 million viewers from 6:45-7:00 p.m. ET when Always Dreaming crossed the finish line 2¾ lengths ahead of Lookin at Lee – up 7% from the peaks of the past two Kentucky Derby races, won by Nyquist in 2016 and Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in 2015 (17.9 million for both).
The 143rdKentucky Derby (6:24-7:11 p.m. ET) on NBC averaged 16.4 million TV-only viewers with a 9.3/22 HH rating – up 6% and 3% respectively from last year.
Saturday’s Kentucky Derby is television’s most-watched Saturday afternoon program since the NFC Divisional Playoff (Jan. 14, 2017).
This is the fifth consecutive year and seventh time in nine years (2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017) that NBC’s Kentucky Derby coverage averaged more than 15 million viewers. NBC’s five-year streak (2013-17) averaging 15+ million viewers is the only such Kentucky Derby stretch in People Meter history (Kentucky Derby viewership history at bottom).
NBC Sports Digital’s presentation of the Kentucky Derby ranks as the most-streamed Kentucky Derby ever, delivering 9 million minutes, up 30% from last year. The stream also delivered a record 281,000 unique users. The Average Minute Audience (AMA) for the Kentucky Derby via the NBC Sports app and NBCSports.com was 97,800 viewers.
KENTUCKY DERBY VIEWERSHIP (*TV + Digital)
2017
16.543 million*
NBC
Always Dreaming
2016
15.6 million*
NBC
Nyquist
2015
16.1 million*
NBC
American Pharoah
2014
15.3 million
NBC
California Chrome
2013
16.2 million
NBC
Orb
2012
14.8 million
NBC
I'll Have Another
2011
14.5 million
NBC
Animal Kingom
2010
16.498 million
NBC
Super Saver
2009
16.1 million
NBC
Mine That Bird
2008
14.2 million
NBC
Big Brown
2007
13.7 million
NBC
Street Sense
2006
12.9 million
NBC
Barbaro
2005
13.6 million
NBC
Giacomo
2004
14.6 million
NBC
Smarty Jones
2003
11.8 million
NBC
Funny Cide
2002
12.8 million
NBC
War Emblem
2001
13.5 million
NBC
Monarchos
2000
9.1 million
ABC
Fusaichi Pegasus
1999
9.9 million
ABC
Charismatic
1998
9.5 million
ABC
Real Quiet
1997
11.3 million
ABC
Silver Charm
1996
11.0 million
ABC
Grindstone
1995
9.3 million
ABC
Thunder Gulch
1994
12.2 million
ABC
Go For Gin
1993
11.5 million
ABC
Sea Hero
1992
13.7 million
ABC
Lil E Tee
1991
13.4 million
ABC
Strike The Gold
1990
15.6 million
ABC
Unbridled
1989
18.5 million
ABC
Sunday Silence
TOP METERED MARKETS FOR 2017 KENTUCKY DERBY (Race Portion)
