Breeders' Cup Classic telecast yields highest rating since 1995

The final hour of the three-hour Breeders’ Cup telecast on NBC received a 2.6 household rating and a 6 share, according to NBC, the highest rating for any portion of a Breeders’ Cup telecast since 1995.

The 2.6 rating for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which featured the final performance by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, was up 53 percent compared with the rating for the Breeders’ Cup Classic last year. The Classic this year went off at approximately 6 p.m. Eastern, whereas last year’s Classic went off in prime time.

Share is a measure of the percentage of televisions in use that were tuned in to a program, so approximately 1 in 17 televisions were tuned in to the Classic.

NBC said that its metrics indicated that 4.6 million people tuned in to NBC during the Classic. Last year, the network estimated that 3.3 million people watched the race, which featured California Chrome.

The broadcast of the 1995 Breeders’ Cup Classic, which featured Cigar, received a 2.8 rating and a 9 share, NBC said.