Final national television ratings for NBC’s coverage of the May 19 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) from Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Md., dipped 9% from year-ago figures. The 2007 Preakness telecast drew a 4.9 national rating and a 13 share. Each rating point equals 1.14 million viewers, meaning approximately 5.6 million viewers witnessed the telecast. The share represents the percentage of televisions in use at that time that were tuned to the program.
The race portion of the show, from 6 p.m.-6:30 p.m. ET, drew a 5.7/14, down 14% from 2006, when Barbaro was going for the second jewel of the Triple Crown after having won the Kentucky Derby (gr. I). After his breakdown, many viewers stayed tuned to get an update on his condition. This year, the post-race segment drew a 4.2 national rating, down from last year’s 5.8. The pre-race portion of this year’s telecast registered a 3.9/10, down 5% from last year’s 3.7/10.
NBC reported that the Preakness telecast far outdistanced viewership for FOX’s Major League Baseball coverage May 19 and ABC’s NBA playoffs coverage the following day, making it the most-watched sporting event of the weekend.
