Hasta La Creative!

When American Pharoah steps into the starting gate at Belmont Park Saturday afternoon, he’ll be the fourteenth horse to contend for the Triple Crown since the big chestnut Affirmed last took the honor back in 1978. And as is generally the case when there’s a chance to bear witness to history, NBC is all but guaranteed a big turnout for its broadcast of the 2015 Belmont Stakes.

According to Nielsen data, last year’s Belmont race was the most-watched in a decade, as 20.4 million viewers tuned in to see if California Chrome could end the drought. And while thoroughbred racing tends to attract an older crowd — 75% of the 2014 Belmont’s deliveries fell outside the TV’s key 18-to-49 demo — advertiser guarantees for high-end sports are made against household ratings. In this case, NBC notched an 11.9 household rating, where each ratings point represents 1% of TV households; to put that in perspective, ABC notched a 10.3 household rating with its coverage of the fifth and deciding game of the 2014 NBA Finals.

Indeed, the Belmont is a feast-or-famine proposition for NBC, which owns the rights to all three tent pole races. Since the century began, there have been five Belmonts with Triple Crown potential, and together those broadcasts averaged 16.7 million viewers and a 10.4 HH rating. By comparison, the 2012 race, which was blighted by a late scratch by the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner I’ll Have Another, drew a paltry 7.67 million viewers and a 4.9 rating.

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