ABC/ESPN reports that television ratings for its Oct. 24-25 telecasts of the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park rose slightly from 2007 figures. However, ratings remain far below those posted by NBC before ABC/ESPN took over the event in 2006.
Friday, October 31, 2008
NBC Sports announced April 7 it has added 30 minutes of coverage to its broadcast of the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) from Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 3.
Monday, April 07, 2008
NBC will present live coverage of a pair of grade I preps for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) when it airs the Santa Anita Derby and Wood Memorial live Saturday, April 5, from 5-6 p.m. ET.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Retired Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron will join TVG, America's Horseracing Network, as a member of the TVG broadcasting team, it was announced March 27. McCarron will make his on-air debut April 4, live at Keeneland Race Course.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
NBC Sports has won the media Eclipse Award in the category "National Television - Live Racing" for its coverage of the 2007 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced Jan. 2.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Universal Pictures has yet another Barbaro film in the works. The feature film follows in the hoof prints of two national documentaries that premiered in the past couple of months on NBC and HBO. Peter Berg will direct and co-produce the film, tentatively titled "Gone Like the Wind" and based on a magazine article by Berg's cousin, Buzz Bissinger.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007Continuing a trend in sports TV programming, the ratings for the June 9 telecast of the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) on ABC registered a 2.9, down 12% from 2006's 3.3.
Thursday, June 14, 2007The Belmont Stakes telecast June 9 on ABC, which ended up being a thrilling race with a historic finish thanks to the filly Rags to Riches, nevertheless registered modest ratings numbers that continued a downward trend for the race.
Monday, June 11, 2007NBC reported slightly lower ratings for this year's Preakness Stakes coverage than it received in 2006 when Barbaro was going for the second jewel of racing's Triple Crown.
Monday, May 28, 2007NBC reported overnight ratings for this year's Preakness that were slightly off last year's Barbaro Preakness numbers, but were still relatively strong for the second jewel of the Triple Crown.
Monday, May 21, 2007NBC Sports' telecast of the 133rd Kentucky Derby May 5 averaged 11.5 million viewers, the highest number since 2001, the network reported Thursday.
Thursday, May 10, 2007Ratings for the one-hour portion of NBC's Kentucky Derby coverage May 5 that comprises the race segment of the show rose 5% over year-ago figures. NBC announced that 13.8 million viewers tuned into the race, a 7% boost from 2006.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007NBC Sports' coverage of the May 5 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands recorded an 8.3 overnight rating and 18 share, up 12% from last year and equal to the highest overnight rating for the broadcast since 1992, according to ratings released May 6.
Sunday, May 06, 2007NBC has switched gears, and will air "Barbaro: A Nation's Horse" Saturday, May 5, at 8 p.m. ET, an hour and a half after the network signs off from covering the Kentucky Derby.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007NBC, which pre-empted "Barbaro: A Nation's Horse" April 29 for a Stanley Cup hockey playoff game that went two overtimes, has re-scheduled the documentary for Friday, May 4, at 9 p.m. ET on its cable channel CNBC.
Monday, April 30, 2007NBC will begin its Kentucky Derby coverage with a special 30-minute red carpet and celebrity interview program featuring talent from its "Access Hollywood" show.
Monday, April 30, 2007NBC's one-hour documentary, "Barbaro: A Nation's Horse," will premiere Sunday, April 29, on what would have been the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner's fourth birthday.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007NBC will recount the heroic story of Barbaro in a one-hour documentary that will air on the network April 29, which would have been the horse's fourth birthday.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007NBCSports.com will stream live coverage of the Florida Derby this Saturday, March 31, from Gulfstream Park.
Monday, March 26, 2007ESPN horse racing analyst Jerry Bailey and NBC each received nominations for the 28th annual Sports Emmy Awards. Bailey was nominated as an outstanding sports personality while NBC was nominated for its coverage of the 2006 Preakness Stakes (gr. I). Winners will be announced April 30.
Thursday, March 22, 2007NBC will televise the Sunshine Millions Saturday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. (ET) from Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park. Tom Hammond will host from Santa Anita, with analysis by Gary Stevens.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007NBC Sports has won the media Eclipse Award for national television--live racing for its production of the 2006 Preakness Stakes (gr. I).
Tuesday, January 02, 2007Final U.S. national household television ratings confirmed a severe dip in the number of Americans tuned to the Breeders' Cup World Championships this year.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006Television ratings were down but Web traffic was up for ESPN's maiden voyage covering the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
Monday, November 06, 2006Trevor Denman has joined the ESPN announcer team for coverage of the 2006 Breeders' Cup World Championships, ESPN said Sept. 6.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006Besides being seen on a new network this year, the Breeders' Cup World Championships will have a different sound as well. For the first time since the event's inception in 1984, Tom Durkin will not be calling the Breeders' Cup races for television viewers.
Saturday, September 02, 2006ABC Sports picked a tough time to get back into the Triple Crown business. Without Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro and Preakness victor Bernardini, the Belmont Stakes was left without a star attraction, and that was reflected in national television ratings for the June 10 running from New York.
Monday, June 12, 2006NBC's telecast of the May 20 Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course near Baltimore, Md., drew a slightly higher audience than the 2005 running. The network reported a 5.4 national rating and a 14 share for the program, which ran from 5 to 6:50 p.m. EDT.
Thursday, May 25, 2006The overnight ratings for NBC's coverage of the Preakness Stakes May 20 indicated a small drop-off in viewers from 2005's numbers. The overnights, which measure viewership in 54 major markets, gave the overall telecast a 5.7 rating and a 14 share, down 4% from last year's 5.9/14.
Monday, May 22, 2006NBC reported ratings for its May 6 Kentucky Derby telecast that were down slightly from 2005 figures, but were in line with the numbers it has received for its Run for the Roses coverage since 2000.
Thursday, May 11, 2006NBC Sports said Thursday that copy included in two feature stories presented during the May 6 telecast of the Kentucky Derby was plagiarized from NBC's hit program "The West Wing" by a freelance producer.
Thursday, May 11, 2006NBC Sports reported an 8.4 national rating and a 20 share for the race portion (5:45-6:45 p.m. EDT) of its May 6 Kentucky Derby telecast. The rating is slightly down from last year's 9.0/22 national rating for the race portion of the telecast.
Monday, May 08, 2006Television crews from ABC and NBC blanketed the Bluegrass region the week of April 24 to tape separate features on the area.
Thursday, April 27, 2006Join renowned NBC broadcaster Tom Hammond as he prepares to host this year's 132nd running of the Kentucky Derby. Hammond will share his memories and insights on the eve of racing's most celebrated event and be the special guest live online for the Wednesday, April 26th edition of bloodhorse.com "Talkin' Horses" beginning at Noon.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006ABC Sports, which will be televising the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) from Belmont Park in New York June 10, has announced it will be expanding the telecast to two hours. The program will air from 5 p.m.-7p.m. ET.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006Retired jockey Gary Stevens has officially joined NBC Sports' broadcasting team, according to his manager, Kelly Weitsma. The Hall of Fame rider finalized a long-term deal with NBC earlier this month, and will co-host the network's horse racing coverage along with broadcasting veteran Tom Hammond.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006Less than two months after his Nov. 26 retirement from racing, former jockey Gary Stevens is considering an invitation to guest star in the ABC original family series Wildfire.
Saturday, January 07, 2006National television ratings for NBC's telecast of the Oct. 29 Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships from Belmont Park in New York increased slightly from last year's numbers.
Thursday, November 03, 2005NBC Sports' coverage of the June 11 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) managed a 4.5 national rating/11 share for its 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. EDT telecast.
Thursday, June 16, 2005Without a possible Triple Crown winner on the line, ratings for NBC's June 11 broadcast of the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) dropped to an average overnight rating of 5.0 with an 11 share, down from 13.4 with a 27 share from last year when Smarty Jones made his bid for the 2004 Triple Crown.
Sunday, June 12, 2005NBC Sports' television broadcast of the 130th running of the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) averaged a 5.1/13 national rating/share, down sharply from last year when Smarty Jones captured the middle leg of the Triple Crown, but up slightly from the same figures for 2003.
Thursday, May 26, 2005The popularity of Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Smarty Jones contributed to an overnight television rating of 7.2 and 16 share for the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), up 29% from 2003.
Monday, May 23, 2005Though numbers fell short of last year's figures, NBC Sports said the television viewership for the May 7 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) reflects the race's status as a "premier" network television event.
Thursday, May 12, 2005NBC Sports' broadcast of Giacomo's surprise win at the 131st running of the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) notched an 8.2 overnight rating and 19 share, slightly down from an 8.3 rating in 2001, 2003, and 2004.
Sunday, May 08, 2005Continuing a relationship that began in 2001, NBC Sports has reached an agreement with Churchill Downs Inc. and Magna Entertainment/Maryland Jockey Club to telecast the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes an additional five years, from 2006 to 2010.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005The Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships will be televised on ESPN beginning in 2006 under an eight-year contract between the two parties, officials announced April 29. Financial details weren't released, but officials called it a "revenue-sharing" package designed to help racing capitalize on multimedia and technology.
Friday, April 29, 2005NBC Sports will kick off coverage of the 2005 Visa Triple Crown season Saturday with a two-hour telecast of "NTRA Road to the Kentucky Derby." The broadcast begins 4 p.m. ET and will feature live coverage of the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) from Santa Anita Park; Wood Memorial (gr. I) from Aqueduct.; and the Illinois Derby (gr. II) from Hawthorne Race Course.
Thursday, April 07, 2005Breeders' Cup Limited, along with the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, has released the official event logo for the 22nd Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, to be held Oct. 29 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.
Thursday, March 31, 2005NBC will kick off coverage of the 2005 Visa Triple Crown season April 9, with the two-hour telecast of "NTRA Road to the Kentucky Derby." The show will air from 4-6 p.m. (ET) and will feature live coverage of the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), Wood Memorial (gr. I), and the Illinois Derby (gr. II).
Tuesday, February 15, 2005National television ratings for the Sunshine Millions on NBC Jan. 29 stayed on a par with year-ago numbers for the event.
Thursday, February 03, 2005