Kentucky Derby gets highest TV ratings in 18 years
May 3, 2010NEW YORK (AP) -The Kentucky Derby's television ratings are the highest in 18 years.
NBC says Saturday's coverage of Calvin Borel riding Super Saver to victory for the third time in four years drew a 10.3 overnight rating and a 23 share. That's up 1 percent from last year's 10.2/22, when 16.3 million viewers made 50-1 shot Mine That Bird's win the most-watched Derby in 20 years.
It's also an increase of seven percent from 9.5/21 in 2008 when Big Brown won.
It's the highest overnight rating since Lil E Tee won in 1992.
The rating is the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned into a program, while the share is the percentage of all TVs in use at the time. Overnight ratings measure the nation's largest markets.
Final viewership and national ratings will be announced Tuesday.