Kentucky Derby Breaks Viewership Record with 19.6M
The Kentucky Derby is one of the most-watched U.S. sports events.
The Kentucky Derby has a new viewership record. The 2026 Kentucky Derby drew 19. 6 million viewers Saturday on NBC and Peacock, the most-watched edition of the race on record, according to Nielsen preliminary data and Adobe Analytics.
The previous viewership high for the race was 18. 5 million in 1989. Final, official numbers for the event are expected Tuesday, according to NBC.
This year’s number was 11% higher than the 17. 7 million NBC and Peacock drew in 2025, surpassing the 2024 race that drew 16. 7 million.
The two editions were the most-watched races since 1989. Viewership highs over the last few years have been helped by Nielsen’s new measurements, particularly the inclusion of out-of-home viewership in 2020 and its new Big Data + Panel measurement late last year. Giving It Some Context While the Kentucky Derby viewership pales in comparison to the 124.