This year’s Kentucky Derby ended up with a one-length win by Mage, who had 16-to-1 odds entering the race. Ratings for the event were strong, as NBC reported the event being the most-watched sporting event on linear television since the Super Bowl with a total audience delivery of 14.8 million viewers. The metric also renders the event as the second most watched television show taking place after FOX’s coverage of Super Bowl LVII, with the only event gaining more viewers being the Academy Awards.
The 2023 Kentucky Derby was NBC Sports’ 14th consecutive presentation of the event to garner more than 14.5 million viewers. It peaked at 16.6 million viewers during the quarter-hour window when the race was run (7-7:15 p.m. EST). The event was also live-streamed on Peacock where Adobe Analytics recorded an average minute audience of 371,000 viewers. That number is 50% higher than last year’s total (247,000). It should also be noted that the race took place on the same day as the coronation of King Charles III – with NBC’s coverage averaging 1.72 million viewers.
While these ratings may have been among the best compared to other television programs, it is a disappointing figure when compared to previous iterations of the Kentucky Derby. The 2020 version of the race notwithstanding – which took place on Labor Day weekend due to the COVID-19 pandemic – the 2023 Kentucky Derby was the least viewed edition on linear television since 2008.
Across all consumption platforms, the figure marks the lowest figure since 2011 (14.54 million), with that figure excluding out-of-home viewing. The household rating of 6.9 is also NBC’s lowest since it began broadcasting the Kentucky Derby in 2001.
The Preakness Stakes will be broadcast on NBC beginning at 4:30 p.m. EST, with complete coverage beginning earlier in the day on CNBC and Peacock at 1 p.m. EST. The final leg of the Triple Crown will take place three weeks later from Elmont, NY. FOX will broadcast this year’s Belmont Stakes for the first time, part of a new eight-year media rights contract it agreed to with the New York Racing Association.
