The Kentucky Derby continues getting bigger for NBC and Peacock.
Golden Tempo‘s victory in the 152nd Run for the Roses was the most watched on record, averaging 19.6 million viewers between the NBC television broadcast and the Peacock streaming service, according to a news release from the network. That was an increase of 11% over last year, when Sovereignty won Derby 151. The 19.6 million watching on TV made it NBC’s largest audience for a Saturday program since the Milan Cortina Olympics earlier this year.
Saturday’s viewership peaked at 24.4 million viewers between 7 and 7:15 p.m. ET. That figure set another Derby record for NBC, which has broadcast the iconic race since 2001.
This year’s Derby was NBC Sports’ largest streaming audience for a horse racing event on Peacock. It had an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 1.3 million viewers. That’s a 36% rise over 2025 (959,000) and almost double 2024 (714,000).
But the Derby wasn’t the only race that did big numbers for NBC.
The Kentucky Oaks, which ran under the lights Friday night at Churchill Downs, averaged 2.4 million viewers for NBC and Peacock. That’s the most on record for the event; the prior mark was 593,000 on ESPN in 1997. Always a Runner’s triumph Friday also drew nearly eight times the average audience figure (304,000) of the last three years, when the Oaks aired on USA Network.
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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Derby 2026 TV ratings, Golden Tempo’s win sets record on NBC