FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 30th, 2015

NBCUNIVERSAL SURROUNDS THE KENTUCKY DERBY

TODAY Show Segments Live from Churchill Downs Tomorrow and Saturday

The Weather Channel & CNBC Live from Churchill Downs Tomorrow

Features and Segments from NBCUniversal Properties Including MSNBC, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, E! News, The Voice, 1st Look and More

NBC Sports Radio’s Big Event Weekend Tackles NFL Draft, Kentucky Derby & Mayweather-Pacquiao

STAMFORD, Conn. – April 30, 2015 – NBC Sports Group presents 15.5 live hours of Kentucky Derby coverage, a record for the event, continuing today, Thursday, April 30, with the Kentucky Derby Access show at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and culminating with the 141st running of the Kentucky Derby on NBC, Saturday, May 2 at 4 p.m. ET. Coverage begins on Saturday at Noon ET on NBCSN before moving to NBC at 4 p.m. ET.

A host of NBCUniversal properties will participate in NBC Sports’ ‘Big Event Strategy,’ focusing on the food, fashion, celebrity and entertainment spectacle that is the Kentucky Derby.

Below is a summary of the NBCU properties that are supporting the Kentucky Derby:

TODAY: TODAY’s Al Roker reports live all morning from Churchill Downs tomorrow, Friday, May 1. Roker will interview milliner Christine Moore, discuss derby hat fashion with NBC Sports Group’s Kentucky Derby fashion and lifestyle experts Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski, and will be joined by NBC Sports Group’s Josh Elliott for a segment on this year’s big stories surrounding the Derby.

WEEKEND TODAY: Weekend TODAY anchor Dylan Dreyer reports live from Churchill Downs Saturday morning on topics ranging from Derby fashion to track conditions, including an interview with NBC Sports Kentucky Derby analyst Randy Moss.

TODAY WITH KATHIE LEE AND HODA: Tomorrow, Kathie Lee and Hoda will wear Derby hats while they share Derby trivia. In addition, their “drink of choice” during “The Talk” segment will be the mint julep in a nod to the Derby’s traditional beverage.

THE WEATHER CHANNEL: During Wake up With Al tomorrow morning, Roker reports live from Churchill Downs on the latest conditions, explaining how they may impact the horses’ performance, and looks back at the different ways weather has impacted previous races. Sam Champion will be on site tomorrow during AMHQ with Sam Champion, with segments including a discussion with Elliott.

CNBC: Tomorrow, CNBC’s Dominic Chu reports on the big business of the Kentucky Derby from Churchill Downs.  Viewers will get a glimpse at the elite seats that cost more than $13,000, the new high tech features such as robot bartenders and a $2,500 mint julep.  CNBC also breaks down the investing and money-making opportunities inside and outside of the track throughout the day and CNBC’s Fast Money Halftime Report (Monday-Friday, 12 p.m. -1 p.m. ET) will include an interview with Bill Carstanjen, CEO, Churchill Downs Incorporated.

MSNBC: MSNBC will present live interview segments with Elliott and NBC Sports Kentucky Derby reporter Donna Brothers.

E! NEWS:  E!  News will feature an “Insiders’ Guide” to the Kentucky Derby and Churchill Downs, and a mixologist segment with the mint julep, the Derby’s signature drink, as well as other bourbon drinks. On Derby Day, E! News’ Alicia Quarles will interview celebrities on the Kentucky Derby Red Carpet. 

THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON:  Kentucky Derby content from Jimmy Fallon includes a Kentucky Derby-Winner Puppy Predictor skit that aired on last night’s show and Fallon’s pick for the winning horse.

LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS:  Seth Meyers and Fred Armisen provided their Derby picks to be revealed during NBC’s Kentucky Derby broadcast on Saturday.

THE VOICE: Judges from The Voice and host Carson Daly offered their horse picks to be included in NBC’s Kentucky Derby broadcast on Saturday.

ACCESS HOLLYWOOD: Access Hollywood Live will have Derby-related content in their show tomorrow.

BRAVO: Andy Cohen, host of Watch What Happens Live, provided his Derby horse pick to be revealed during NBC’s Kentucky Derby broadcast.

DAN PATRICK SHOW:  NBC Sports’ handicapper Eddie Olczyk will join Dan Patrick and the ‘Danettes’ tomorrow on the Dan Patrick Show to preview the Kentucky Derby.

NBC AFFILIATES & NBC SPORTS REGIONAL NETWORKS: Kentucky Derby promotions will air throughout the week on NBC Affiliates and NBC Sports Regional Networks across the country.

NBC SPORTS RADIO’S BIG EVENT WEEKEND: For the first time, NBC Sports Radio will present two hours of live Kentucky Derby coverage beginning Saturday, May 2 at 5 p.m. ET. Produced in partnership with Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN), and distributed by Westwood One, NBC Sports Radio will present live radio coverage of all three Triple Crown races this year.

NBC Sports Radio will also present live NFL draft coverage tomorrow on Going Deep with Amani and Dan featuring live interviews from Chicago, and live Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather pre-fight coverage from the MGM in Las Vegas tomorrow on Under Center with McNabb and Malone and Saturday on The Jason Page Show.

NBC OWNED TELEVISION STATIONS’ LX.TV: 1st Look follows host Audrina Patridge as she heads to WinStar Farm to meet past Derby winner Super Saver, attends jockey school, and goes behind the scenes with NBC Sports analyst Mike Battaglia for the Derby qualifying race, the Spiral Stakes.  Audrina also takes a Louisville Food Tour with celebrity chef Ed Lee. 1st Look airs after Saturday Night Live at 1 a.m. ET.

STEVE HARVEY SHOW: Steve Harvey picked his Kentucky Derby horse for a feature that airs during NBC’s Kentucky Derby broadcast.

UNIVERSAL PARK: Universal Park in Hollywood has been running NBC Sports Kentucky Derby promotional spots on their Astrovision screens in the weeks leading up to the Derby, reminding park goers of NBC’s Kentucky Derby coverage.

************************************************************************

NBC PROVIDES WALL-TO-WALL SPORTS COVERAGE ON DERBY DAY

On Derby Day, NBC’s wall-to-wall sports coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. ET with Game 2 between the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals in second-round NHL Stanley Cup Playoff action. NBC’s Kentucky Derby coverage begins at 4 p.m. ET, and leads right into primetime coverage of the PGA TOUR’s World Golf Championships-Cadillac Match Play from TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, Calif. at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Players Championship from TPC Sawgrass airs on Golf Channel and NBC from May 7-10, including Golf Channel’s Golf Central Live From The Players starting on Monday, May 4.

NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 2, begins at Noon ET on NBCSN. Coverage of the Kentucky Oaks begins tomorrow, May 1, at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. NBC Sports Group’s live Kentucky Derby coverage begins Wednesday, April 29, with the Kentucky Derby Draw at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

************************************************************************

NBC SPORTS GROUP AND HORSE RACING: NBC Sports Group is the exclusive home to the most important and prestigious events in horse racing, including the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup. NBC has been the exclusive home of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes since 2001, and the Belmont Stakes since 2011, when NBC Sports Group reassembled the Triple Crown.

The 2014 Kentucky Derby marked the fourth time in six years (2009, 2010, 2013, 2014) that NBC’s Kentucky Derby coverage averaged more than 15 million viewers. Women comprised 51% of that viewership, ranking the Kentucky Derby alongside the Belmont Stakes (featuring a Triple Crown contender) and Sochi Winter Olympics as the major 2014 sporting events with females accounting more than half of the audience.

The 2014 Belmont Stakes on NBC, featuring California Chrome’s Triple Crown attempt, averaged 20.4 million viewers – the second-highest Belmont Stakes viewership on record, trailing only the 21.9 million viewers for NBC’s telecast of Smarty Jones’ Triple Crown attempt in 2004 (People Meter viewership dates to 1988). In addition, the 2014 Preakness Stakes registered a 6.0 household rating, ranking as the highest-rated Preakness Stakes since 2009.

AWARDS FOR NBC’S HORSE RACING COVERAGE: Since its involvement in the Triple Crown, NBC Sports has been honored with 15 Eclipse Awards for its thoroughbred racing coverage including the award for Television – Live Program for the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic and the 2013 Kentucky Derby. NBC’s previous wins in that category include: Preakness (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008), Kentucky Derby (2007, 2012), Belmont (2004) and Breeder’s Cup (2001).  Additionally, NBC Sports has won four Eclipse Awards in the features category: “California Chrome: The Unlikely Champion,” which aired on NBCSN in June 2014, a 2002 feature on War Emblem (Preakness broadcast), a 2005 feature on Afleet Alex (Kentucky Derby broadcast) and a 2009 feature on Mine That Bird (Preakness broadcast). In addition, the 2014 Belmont Stakes broadcast was nominated for the Sports Emmy Award Outstanding Live Sports Special this year.

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–