Migrated article

NBC Sports reported that its coverage of the Kentucky Derby averaged 16 million viewers, up 4 percent from 15.3 million who viewed California Chrome last year. According to final data provided by The Nielsen Company, the telecast posted a 9.6 national rating with a share of 23, up from 9.4 and 22 last year.

This marked the fourth time since 2009 that average viewership reached or topped 16 million. Those figures represented the most viewers since 1989, when 18.5 million tuned in.

Host city Louisville, Ky., topped the metered markets with a 35.0 rating and 65 share.

Viewership peaked at 17.9 million viewers for the portion of the three-hour telecast including the race itself, from 6:30 to 6:45 p.m. Eastern. Earlier this week, NBC reported that the overnight rating for the race portion of the broadcast were 10.8 with a share of 24, the highest overnight since 1992 and a 7 percent increase from last year’s rating. The Derby was the most-watched Saturday afternoon sporting event since NBC’s telecast of the AFC Divisional Playoff on Jan. 10, which attracted 34 million viewers.

Saturday afternoon’s pre-race coverage averaged 8.8 million viewers, the third-highest for that segment since 1992, while NBC Sports Live Extra’s live stream of the race, which required authentication, delivered 221,000 unique visitors, up 12 percent from last year.