NBC drew a 10.1 overnight rating for California Chrome's win at the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby yesterday, down 3% from a 10.4 rating last year, but up 12% from a 9.0 in ‘12. The race segment of the Derby went head-to-head with TNT's Pacers-Hawks Game 7. Louisville led all markets with a 37.8 local rating, followed by Ft. Myers-Naples (21.3) and West Palm Beach (17.8) (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
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KENTUCKY DERBY OVERNIGHT RATINGS TREND ON NBC (RACE SEGMENT)
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YEAR
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RATING
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WINNING HORSE |
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'14
|
10.1
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California Chrome |
|
'13
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10.4
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Orb |
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'12
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9.0
|
I'll Have Another |
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'11
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9.7
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Animal Kingdom |
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'10
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10.4
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Super Saver |
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'09
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10.2
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Mine That Bird |
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'08
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9.5
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Big Brown |
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'07
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9.8
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Street Sense |
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'06
|
8.9
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Barbaro |
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'05
|
10.0
|
Giacomo |
| |
|
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DOWN THE STRETCH: In Tampa, Tom Jones writes, "I'm trying to think of any sporting event that is covered better than the Kentucky Derby is covered by NBC." Somehow the net "manages to take a two-minute event and turn it into three hours of compelling, entertaining, informative and must-see TV." Jones: "Every second of Saturday's coverage was worth watching, even the fashion segments with figure-skating broadcasters Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir." Josh Elliott "had an outstanding return to sports," including two features on jockey Rosie Napravnik and the horse Wicked Strong, who was named in honor of those affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. Meanwhile, host Bob Costas was "smooth as always" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/5).
