NBC on Saturday drew a 4.9 overnight rating for the race segment of the Preakness Stakes from 6:15-7:15pm ET, marking the event's lowest figure since ABC drew a 4.6 rating in '00. It was the lowest figure on record for NBC, which picked up Preakness rights in '01. The 4.9 rating for Cloud Computing's win at the second leg of the Triple Crown was down 21% from last year, when Exaggerator won the race. Despite being at a multiyear low, the 4.9 overnight was the best for any sports telecast on Saturday. The race peaked at a 6.2 rating from 6:45-7:00pm. Host city Baltimore led all markets with a 14.6 local rating, but that was down sharply from a 19.7 last year. Louisville was the No. 2 market with a 13.2 local rating, down from a 14.6 last year. The Preakness led into Predators-Ducks NHL Western Conference Finals Game 5, which drew a 1.8 overnight from 7:15-10:15pm. That figure is up from a 1.5 last year for the post-Preakness NHL matchup -- Sharks-Blues WCF Game 4 (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
NOTHING LEFT TO SEE? In Tampa, Tom Jones writes NBC produced "another solid horse racing weekend" with its coverage of the Preakness. The two-hour prerace show was "fast-paced and entertaining." Unfortunately for NBC, Always Dreaming "did not win, meaning there no longer is a Triple Crown possibility." Anticipation for the Belmont Stakes in three weeks has been "turned way down" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/22).
