Turns out, the Oaks under the lights was a hit, and the Derby set a record

The 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby had a thrilling finish, an inspirational storyline, and the largest viewing audience ever. The latter was revealed on Sunday, when Nielsen ratings showed an average audience of 19.6 million viewers watching the race on NBC and Peacock, making it the most-viewed Derby of all time.

The new numbers reveal the broadcast’s audience peaked between 7 and 7:15 p.m. for the actual race, reaching 24.4 million in that 15-minute window as Golden Tempo won the Run for the Roses. Overall, NBC notes that this year’s Derby coverage topped last year’s by 11%, up from 17.7 million viewers in 2025 to 19.6 million this past weekend.

Also worth noting, the 2026 Derby was NBC’s most-watched Saturday program since the Winter Olympics in February.

[NBC SPORTS DELIVERS THE MOST-WATCHED KENTUCKY DERBY ON RECORD, AVERAGING 19.6 MILLION VIEWERS ON NBC & PEACOCK IN HISTORIC “RUN FOR THE ROSES”]

The Oaks also made history in its new time slot

Don’t expect the Kentucky Oaks race to move back to its old time slot on Fridays, not after the ratings that it drew this year.

The Oaks debuted in a new late-night spot at 8:40 p.m., sparking an uproar across Louisville over its impact on the local economy. However, the move under the lights paid off for Churchill Downs and NBC, with viewership peaking at 2.4 million on Friday evening. That’s four times the views from 2025, when the Oaks race drew 593,000 viewers at its earlier time.

[Sights and sounds from a historic Kentucky Derby win for Golden Tempo]