After decades on ABC, the Kentucky Derby moved to NBC in 2001 where it has been since and NBC reversed a decades long downward viewership trend on ABC.
NBC did that in part by measuring the telecast window a bit differently than ABC had, but it’s important to note the NBC numbers below are *not* merely the actual race which runs a bit over two minutes.
Last year’s average viewership of 16 million, for example, was calculated over a 46 minute window from 6:16-7:02p. If they counted just the numbers for the ~two-minute race, viewership would have been much higher. The 15 minute portion that included the race averaged 17.9 million viewers in 2015.
Kentucky Derby TV viewership 1989-2015:
| ear | Network | Viewers | Winner |
| 2015 | NBC | 16.0 million | American Pharoah |
| 2014 | NBC | 15.3 million | California Chrome |
| 2013 | NBC | 16.2 million | Orb |
| 2012 | NBC | 14.8 million | I’ll Have Another |
| 2011 | NBC | 14.5 million | Animal Kingom |
| 2010 | NBC | 16.5 million | Super Saver |
| 2009 | NBC | 16.1 million | Mine That Bird |
| 2008 | NBC | 14.2 million | Big Brown |
| 2007 | NBC | 13.7 million | Street Sense |
| 2006 | NBC | 12.9 million | Barbaro |
| 2005 | NBC | 13.6 million | Giacomo |
| 2004 | NBC | 14.6 million | Smarty Jones |
| 2003 | NBC | 11.8 million | Funny Cide |
| 2002 | NBC | 12.8 million | War Emblem |
| 2001 | NBC | 13.5 million | Monarchos |
| 2000 | ABC | 9.1 million | Fusaichi Pegasus |
| 1999 | ABC | 9.9 million | Charismatic |
| 1998 | ABC | 9.5 million | Real Quiet |
| 1997 | ABC | 11.3 million | Silver Charm |
| 1996 | ABC | 11.0 million | Grindestone |
| 1995 | ABC | 9.3 million | Thunder Gulch |
| 1994 | ABC | 12.1 million | Go For Gin |
| 1993 | ABC | 11.5 million | Sea Hero |
| 1992 | ABC | 13.7 million | Lil E Tee |
| 1991 | ABC | 13.4 million | Strike The Gold |
| 1990 | ABC | 15.6 million | Unbridled |
| 1989 | ABC | 18.5 million | Sunday Silence |