NBC Jumps Out of the Gate in Extended Breeder's Cup Deal With Dual Drones, Jockey Cams, RF Super-Mo

NBC Jumps Out of the Gate in Extended Breeder's Cup Deal With Dual Drones, Jockey Cams, RF Super-MoA total of 10 hours of live coverage will air on NBC/Peacock/USA Network over two daysBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.

Friday, October 31, 2025 - 9:59 am

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The richest two days in all of American horse racing begins today at Del Mar Racetrack, and NBC Sports has rolled out a treasure trove of production tools to cover all the Breeders' Cup World Championship action. In the first year of an extended media-rights deal that runs through 2030, NBC Sports has deployed its largest production complement to date, including a pair of drones, two Jockey Cams, and an RF super-slo-mo camera.

Our coverage footprint has nearly doubled in size since I began working on the event [in 2016], says NBC Sports Coordinating Director Kaare Numme, who directs Breeders' Cup coverage. We are up to 35 NBC Sports cameras, and, when adding feeds from the track and our Breeders' Cup partners, we have 70 different camera sources.

For the second consecutive year, NBC will have dual-drone coverage during races, featuring the traditional angle high and behind the horses and an intimate lower angle tracking the field. Both systems will also capture scenic shots of the Southern California coast in conjunction with a fixed-wing plane providing aerial coverage.

We are excited about our dual drone' in-race coverage, says Numme. One drone will be flying high and behind the pack, while a second will be on the infield/inside the track, flying about 20 ft. off the ground tracking along with the horses. Both drones will help to provide beauty shots of Del Mar, Where the Turf Meets the Surf.'

Numme and producers Billy Matthews and Caroline Doherty will also have two audio-equipped Jockey Cams at their disposal during the race, as well as an outrider camera capturing intimate moments with the winning jockey immediately following races. An RF super-slo-mo camera, which made its debut for NBC Sports' coverage of the 2023 Breeders' Cup and has also been used for the past two years at the Kentucky Derby, will also be on hand at Del Mar.

In addition, with our partners at Breeders' Cup, we utilize WHOOP [wearable health-tracking technology], says Numme, which enhances our ability to tell stories about jockeys, trainers, and owners as we approach race time.

NBC's 10 hours of racing coverage, all streaming live on Peacock for the first time, begins today 4 p.m. ET on USA Network and Peacock. Six hours of live coverage on Saturday begins at 2 p.m. on USA Network and Peacock, continues on NBC and Peacock at 3:30 p.m., and continues on USA Network and Peacock at 7 p.m. In all, NBC Sports will cover 14 races worth $30 million in prize money, headlined by the $7 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, North America's richest horse race, on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on NBC and Peacock.

The quality of our production is one of the pillars of our Breeders' Cup partnership, says Gary Quinn, VP, partnerships/GM, owned properties, NBC Sports. Their crown-jewel World Championships event deserves an innovative, best-in-class presentation. Our team's consistently excellent showcase of the unmatched season-ending competition is the primary reason the Breeders' Cup has chosen to extend our partnership for six years.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2025/10/31/nbc-jumps-out-of-the-gate-in-ex...
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