Kentucky Derby broadcast draws record TV audience of 19.6 million viewers for NBC

Viewership peaks at 24.4 million, with prime-time Oaks delivering record audience night before

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The Kentucky Derby continues to defy the broader trends of its sport.

NBC Sports announced Sunday that its broadcast of the 152nd Kentucky Derby averaged 19.6 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, making it the network's most-watched “Run for the Roses” on record.

The audience topped last year’s 17.7 million viewers by 11% and marked the largest Derby audience since 1989, when 18.5 million watched Sunday Silence’s victory.

Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford

Viewership peaked at 24.4 million viewers between 7 and 7:15 p.m. ET, as jockey Jose Ortiz guided Golden Tempo to a narrow win. NBC said the peak audience was also the largest ever for its presentation of the race.

The record numbers came one night after another breakthrough for Churchill Downs.

Friday’s Kentucky Oaks, moved to prime time for the first time, averaged 2.4 million viewers across NBC and Peacock — quadrupling the previous record and nearly eight times the audience of recent years.

NBC also reported that the 2026 Derby was the most-streamed horse racing event in its history, with a record average-minute audience of 1.3 million viewers on Peacock.

The Derby broadcast ranks as NBC’s most-watched Saturday program since the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, according to the network.

The audience surge continues a strong run for the event. NBC Sports has now averaged more than 15 million viewers across all platforms for 11 of the last 13 Kentucky Derbies run in May.