Ratings Roundup: NBCs Derby Coverage Hits All-Time High; 1st Round of NBA, NHA Playoffs Up Big

Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, NBC and Peacock deliver the most-watched Kentucky Derby on record and the most-watched First Round Game 7 in NBA history; TNT Sports posts its most-watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round ever; and more.

NBC Sports Delivers the Most-Watched Kentucky Derby on RecordNBC Sports' presentation of Saturday's 152nd Kentucky Derby delivered the most-watched Run for the Roses on record, averaging 19.6 million viewers across NBC and Peacock - up 11% from last year's 17.7 million (Sovereignty), which had been the event's largest audience in 36 years (18.5 million in 1989 for Sunday Silence), according to preliminary data from Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics.

Viewership peaked at 24.4 million from 7-7:15 p.m. ET as jockey Jose Ortiz guided Golden Tempo around the final turn to win by a neck over Renegade, making Cherie DeVaux the first woman to train a Kentucky Derby winner. The peak was the largest ever for an NBC Sports presentation of the Derby, up 12% from 21.8 million last year. With 19.6 million viewers (6:32-7:27 p.m. ET), the 2026 Derby ranks as NBC's most-watched Saturday program since the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Led by Peacock, the Derby posted NBC Sports' largest streaming audience for a horse racing event with an Average Minute Audience of 1.3 million viewers, up 36% from last year (959,000) and nearly double 2024 (714,000).

Saturday capped a second consecutive record-setting day at Churchill Downs. Friday night's 152nd Kentucky Oaks - contested for the first time under the lights in primetime - saw Always A Runner's 1 -length victory average a record 2.4 million viewers across NBC and Peacock. That figure is four times the prior Kentucky Oaks record (593,000 viewers in 1997 on ESPN) and nearly eight times the average of the last three years on USA Network (304,000).

NBC Sports has averaged 15-million-plus viewers across all platforms for 11 of the last 13 Kentucky Derby races held in May (2013-2024, excluding the Covid-impacted 2020 event moved to September).

First Round of 2026 NBA Playoffs Is Most-watched in 33 yearsThe 2026 NBA Playoffs are delivering their highest viewership in 33 years, the league announced, with 3.91 million viewers watching per game across ABC, ESPN, NBC/Peacock and Amazon Prime Video. Through April 27, playoff games across those broadcasters are averaging their highest mark through the first 29 telecasts since 1993.

NBC and Peacock - Most-Watched First Round Game 7 in NBA History. Saturday night's matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 11.0 million viewers, the most-watched First Round Game 7 in NBA history (the league moved to a best-of-seven first round in 2003), based on Nielsen Big Data + Panel and digital data from Adobe Analytics. The 76ers defeated the Celtics 109-100 at TD Garden behind Joel Embiid's 34 points, marking the first time since 1982 the 76ers eliminated the Celtics in a playoff series.

Additional highlights for 76ers-Celtics Game 7 (7:27-10:13 p.m. ET):

Most-watched game of the 2025-26 NBA season to date.

Most-watched First Round game since 1999 (Utah-Sacramento Game 5 on NBC, 11.2 million).

Up 161% vs. comparable First Round Game 7 last year.

9.2 million TV-only viewers; NBC won the night in total audience and all key demos.

Most-watched Saturday primetime program on NBC since Jan. 14, 2023 (NFL Wild Card), excluding the Olympics.

Streamed an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 1.8 million viewers led by Peacock - the most-streamed NBA game ever on NBC/Peacock.

Sunday night's Cleveland Cavaliers 114-102 Game 7 win over the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena averaged a TAD of 7.0 million viewers, the second-most-watched game of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Peacock streamed an AMA of 1.2 million.

First Round Totals on NBC/Peacock. Across 15 First Round games, NBC Sports averaged a TAD of 5.5 million viewers, up 61% vs. comparable coverage last year and the most-watched for comparable windows since 1994. Eleven of the 15 games averaged a TAD of 4.5 million-plus, the most for any network since 1999. The 15 games streamed an AMA of 1.0 million. NBC Sports also streamed five additional games on Peacock and NBCSN - its first NBA Playoffs coverage in 24 years.

Through 13 Games. NBC Sports is averaging 4.9 million viewers across NBC and Peacock through its first 13 NBA Playoff games, up 58% vs. comparable coverage last year and the most-watched for comparable windows since 1996. Coverage from April 25-28 averaged 4.9 million for seven games, the most-watched for comparable windows since 2001.

Highlights from April 25-28 (TAD across NBC and Peacock unless noted):

Saturday, April 25: Thunder-Suns Game 3 (3:30-6:08 p.m. ET) averaged 3.3 million, up 64% YoY and the most-watched game in the window since 2014; peaked at 4.5 million. Knicks-Hawks Game 4 (6:08-9:00 p.m. ET) averaged 5.3 million, up 58% YoY and the most-watched in the window since 2001; peaked at 5.8 million.

Sunday, April 26: Celtics-76ers Game 4 (7:00-9:38 p.m. ET) averaged 6.3 million and peaked at 7.0 million - the most-watched game of the 2026 NBA Playoffs to that point and the most-watched First Round Game 4 in primetime ever. Lakers-Rockets Game 4 (9:38 p.m.-12:20 a.m. ET) averaged 6.2 million and peaked at 7.2 million (highest peak of the 2026 Playoffs at the time), up 128% YoY. The two-game Sunday average of 6.2 million ranks as the most-watched second Sunday of the NBA Playoffs since 2002.

Monday, April 27: Pistons-Magic Game 4 (8:00-10:59 p.m. ET) averaged 5.4 million and peaked at 6.8 million, up 155% YoY and the most-watched Round 1 Game 4 on a weekday ever. Timberwolves-Nuggets Game 5 (10:59 p.m.-1:21

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/05/08/ratings-roundup-stanley-cup-see...
	See more stories from svg

More from Sports Video Group