NBC's coverage of the May 3 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) drew an overnight rating of 10.1, down slightly from the 10.4 rating last year, with the market share unchanged at 23%.
According to the network, the rating from The Nielsen Company was the best Saturday overnight rating since NBC's broadcast of the Sochi Olympic Games on Feb. 15. Also, this year's rating was up 12% over the 9 rating/20 share in 2012, the last year the Derby went up against the NBA Playoffs.
The Atlanta-Indianapolis playoff series game on TNT drew a 2.3 overnight rating.
The top local market for the Derby was Louisville, where Churchill Downs is located, with a 37.8 rating/66 share. That was followed by Ft. Myers, Fla. (21.3/40), West Palm Beach, Fla. (17.8/31), Buffalo, N.Y. (16.8/32), and Cincinnati (16.7/35).
The rest of the top 10 local markets, according to the overnight ratings, were Boston, Ma. (15.5/35), Columbus, Ohio (14.4/31), Orlando, Fla. (14.3/26), Tampa, Fla. (13.6/25), and Indianapolis (13.6/28).
NBC said additional data on the Nielsen ratings for the Derby would be released later May 5.
