Breeders' Cup, NBC extend broadcast deal

The Breeders’ Cup will be televised on NBC’s networks through 2025 under a 10-year extension to a current agreement, the companies announced Thursday.

The agreement will require NBC and a sister network, NBCSN, to provide eight hours of live coverage of the Breeders’ Cup each year, the announcement said. It includes prime-time coverage of the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2016 and 2017, when the host tracks are Santa Anita and Del Mar, according to a release from the companies.

The 10-year extension is the longest broadcast agreement the Breeders’ Cup has reached with a broadcaster. NBC also has the broadcast rights to the three races of the Triple Crown, and earlier this year, it signed a 10-year extension for the rights to the Kentucky Derby, taking the contract through 2025 as well.