Jon Miller, the president of programming for NBC Sports Group, will deliver the keynote address at the fifth Thoroughbred Owner Conference, to be held from October 30 through November 1, 2018, in Louisville, Ky. The conference leads into the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which are scheduled for November 2-3 at Churchill Downs.
The goal of the Thoroughbred Owner Conference, which is co-hosted by OwnerView and BloodHorse and presented by Churchill Downs and Breeders' Cup, is to educate, inform, and entertain new, prospective, and current Thoroughbred owners through a series of panels, networking opportunities, and social events.
As president of programming, Miller oversees nearly 9,500 hours of annual programming for NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), including the Triple Crown races, Breeders' Cup, NFL, NHL, French Open, Notre Dame Football, Tour de France, IndyCar, and NBC's golf properties.
In 2011, McKinsey & Company's study, "Driving Sustainable Growth for Thoroughbred Racing and Breeding," which was commissioned by The Jockey Club, found that horse racing was suffering from a lack of television coverage. Under Miller's leadership, NBC Sports Group has significantly expanded its national coverage of horse racing from 23 hours in 2011 to 85 hours this year. For the fifth year, NBC and NBCSN are airing races from the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, presented by America's Best Racing, and NBC hosted a record five hours of live coverage on this year's Kentucky Derby day. In total, NBC and NBCSN aired more than 30 hours of coverage in support of this year's Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.
"Jon Miller and his team at NBC Sports Group have been tremendous ambassadors for horse racing through their increased national coverage of our sport," said James L. Gagliano, president and COO of The Jockey Club. "We are thrilled that he is able to speak at the Thoroughbred Owner Conference and share his insights on the most effective strategies for broadcasting horse racing and growing the sport."
In addition to the variety of panels and speakers, conference attendees will have the opportunity to attend Breeders' Cup events such as the post-position draw and reception and workouts from the Breeders' Cup Trackside Breakfast Marquee. Attendees will also be able to tour farms in the Lexington Bluegrass region and are invited to an evening reception at the Kentucky Derby Museum. Conference registrations also include reserved seating tickets for both days of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
The full schedule of events is available at ownerview.com. Registration for the conference is now open.
