If you’re looking for horse racing coverage in the foreseeable future, you’re going to find it on NBC and its family of stations. NBC Sports Group has secured a long-term extension to cover the Preakness, joining similar deals that the network reached with the Belmont Stakes and the Kentucky Derby. NBC now has the long-term, exclusive coverage of all three Triple Crown races.
NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus commented on the deal, saying:
“We are excited to extend our partnership with the Maryland Jockey Club for the Preakness Stakes. The second jewel of the Triple Crown is integral to our Championship Season, and now gives us long-term agreements with all of the Triple Crown races. This extension is a testament to the strength of the relationship between the Maryland Jockey Club and NBC Sports Group, and underscores NBC’s commitment to the sport of horse racing.”
For NBC, this deal was a no-brainer. After already securing the Belmont Stakes and the Kentucky Derby, the only logical next move was to add the Preakness for the long haul. In addition to the fact it was wise to keep all three races within their network, the ratings should have provided all the evidence NBC needed to make this decision. The 2015 Preakness averaged 8.9 million viewers. In 12 of the last 15 years that NBC has shown the Preakness, the race was the most-watched sporting event of the weekend.
The deal is reportedly for seven years, which will keep all of the Triple Crown races on NBC into the next decade.
Comments are closed.
About David Rogers
Editor for The Comeback and Contributing Editor for Awful Announcing. Lover of hockey, soccer and all things pop culture.