Kentucky Derby Breaks Viewership Record with 19.6M

The 2026 Kentucky Derby drew a record 19.6 million viewers on NBC and Peacock on Saturday, May 3, 2026, surpassing the previous record of 18.5 million set in 1989, according to Nielsen preliminary data and Adobe Analytics. This year's audience was 11% higher than the 17.7 million viewers in 2025 and beat the 16.7 million who watched in 2024. Final official viewership numbers are expected to be released on Tuesday, per NBC.