The overnight TV-only rating for NBC's telecast of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) May 5 declined slightly this year to 9.1 compared to last year's 9.3.
Despite the slight ratings decline, the share number stayed the same at 21. Ratings measure a percentage of all television households while the share measures a percentage from households or viewers actually watching television at the time.
It's the 12th straight year that the Derby has registered a rating of 9.0 or higher. The network said it's been 30 years since such a stretch was enjoyed. NBC also noted that the race portion of the program peaked with a 10.9 rating and 25 share, and the telecast led into the network's best-ever overnight rating for an early round NHL playoff game. TV-only Kentucky Derby viewership peaked at 17.5 million viewers from 6:45-7 p.m. ET.
Justify's victory in the Kentucky Derby posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 15.0 million viewers across NBC and NBC Sports Digital platforms, marking the sixth consecutive year that Kentucky Derby viewership averaged at least 15 million viewers. NBC's six-year streak is the longest in People Meter history (since 1988).
NBC Sports Digital's presentation of the Kentucky Derby ranks as the most-streamed Kentucky Derby ever, delivering 11.7 million minutes, up 27% from last year. The stream also delivered a record 337,000 unique visitors. The Average Minute Audience (AMA) for the Kentucky Derby via the NBC Sports app and NBCSports.com was a record 123,100 viewers.
NBC noted that the TV-only 9.1/21 overnight on NBC for Justify's Kentucky Derby win is on par with the last time the race was head-to-head with NBA Playoffs (9.4/21 in 2016 won by Nyquist).
The 9.1/21 TV-only overnight for NBC's Kentucky Derby is the best for any Saturday TV show since NBC's PyeongChang Olympics on Feb.17.
Overnight ratings, by market
1. Louisville 37.2/62
2. Ft. Myers 20.0/36
3. Cincinnati 19.8/36
4. Knoxville 17.8/32
5. Pittsburgh 16.4/33
6. Buffalo 15.9/32
7. New Orleans 14.3/25
8. West Palm Beach 14.1/28
9. Tampa 13.4/27
10. Orlando 13.1/28
11. Indianapolis 13.0/27
12. Dayton 12.5/23
13. Hartford 11.7/23
14. Cleveland 11.6/27
15. Columbus 11.1/25
T16. Norfolk 11.0/20
T16. Tulsa 11.0/22
T18. Baltimore 10.4/24
T18. Milwaukee 10.4/23
T18. Washington, DC 10.4/24
