Thursday, October 07, 2010
Churchill Downs Reaches Agreement With NBC Sports
KENTUCKY....
Churchill Downs Inc. and NBC Sports have reached a five-year agreement in principle to extend the network's exclusive rights to air the Run for the Roses, which has been on NBC since 2001. Under the agreement, the Kentucky Derby will remain on NBC through 2015. Last year's race was seen by an average of 16.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched Kentucky Derby since 1989, when 18.5 million people saw Sunday Silence run to victory. The last time the race was shown on ABC, in 2000, only 9.1 million tuned in for Fusaichi Pegasus' win. The new deal includes programming 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.
# posted by Homer Owens @ 3:30 PM 
