NEW YORK (AP) — The Kentucky Derby will remain on NBC through 2015.
Churchill Downs Inc. and NBC Sports have agreed in principle on a five-year contract to extend the network’s exclusive rights to air the race, which has been on NBC since 2001.
The two sides announced the deal Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Last year, the Triple Crown’s first leg was seen by an average of 16.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched Run for the Roses since 1989, when 18.5 million people saw Sunday Silence run to victory.
The deal also gives NBC rights to the Kentucky Derby’s sister race, the Kentucky Oaks, and other coverage from Churchill Downs on the first weekend in May. The Oaks has been aired on NBC-owned cable channel Bravo the past two years.
