FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 3rd, 2017
THE MINIONS, ANDY COHEN AND AMERICA’S GOT TALENT TEAM TO PICK KENTUCKY DERBY WINNERS ON NBC’S DERBY COVERAGE THIS SAT. AT 2:30 PM ET
TODAY Show Features Live Segments from Churchill Downs Friday and Saturday as NBCUniversal Surrounds the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Native Ashley Judd Returns To Voice Show Open And Select Vignettes
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 3, 2017 – NBC Sports Group presents more than 15 hours of Kentucky Derby Week coverage beginning tomorrow, Thursday May 4 at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN. NBC Sports’ most extensive Derby Day coverage ever on broadcast television begins Saturday, May 6, at 2:30 p.m. ET with five hours of live coverage from Churchill Downs. A complete schedule of NBC Sports Group’s exclusive coverage of the Kentucky Derby is available here.
In preparation for the Derby, NBC Sports Group asked a number of celebrities and NBCUniversal personalities for their horse picks, including America’s Got Talent’s Simon Cowell, Mel B, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Tyra Banks, the Minions, Andy Cohen and Jim Cantore. TNT NBA commentators Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson Jr. and Shaquille O’Neal also made selections. Their picks will be revealed during NBC’s Kentucky Derby broadcast on Saturday.
Actress and Kentucky-native Ashley Judd will be the voice of NBC Sports’ show open as well as select scene-setting vignettes for the 143rd Kentucky Derby this Saturday. It marks the third year that the University of Kentucky graduate Judd joins NBC Sports and lends her voice to the featured images and pageantry of the historic “Run for the Roses.”
A wide range 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 & WEEKEND TODAY: Weekend TODAY weather anchor and NBC Sports Group’s Kentucky Derby lifestyle correspondent Dylan Dreyer will report live from Churchill Downs Friday and Saturday morning on the latest horse racing news and developments.
TODAY WITH KATHIE LEE AND HODA: NBC Sports Group anchor and correspondent Carolyn Manno joined Kathie Lee and Hoda this morning for a special “Who Knew” Kentucky Derby segment. On “Try-day Friday,” Kathie Lee and Hoda will help ring in the weekend with Derby hats and the mint juleps.
THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon will feature a Kentucky Derby sketch on Friday, May 5.
E! NEWS: E! News will air a special bourbon tasting segment today with Ramona Singer and Dorinda Medley from Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City. E! News’ social media team is also partnering with NBC Sports to create and distribute female-focused Derby content across its social channel Thursday through Saturday.
GOLF CHANNEL: First-time Triple Crown host Mike Tirico joins Golf Channel’s Morning Drive Friday, May 5, to discuss his new assignment. Jason Day, winner of THE PLAYERS Championship in 2016, met up with Hall of Fame jockey and NBC Sports analyst Jerry Bailey at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., on the famous par-3 17th hole. Day hit 20 golf balls representing the 20-horse Derby field, with the notion that the closest to the pin would forecast Day’s winning pick. The feature, including Day’s pick, will be included in Saturday’s telecast.
THE WEATHER CHANNEL: The Weather Channel provides viewers with updated forecasts throughout the weekend from Churchill Downs.
DAN PATRICK SHOW: Mike Tirico joins Dan Patrick and the ‘Danettes’ on the Dan Patrick Show on Thursday morning to preview the Kentucky Derby.
NBC OWNED TELEVISION STATIONS’ LX.TV: LX.TV’s 1st Look featured a special Kentucky Derby-themed show on April 29 which followed host Ashley Roberts as she learned the art of sewing racing silks, talked to 2015 Triple Crown champ and legendary jockey Victor Espinoza, and sipped mint juleps. 1st Look’s Derby content will also air in NBCUniversal’s out-of-home platforms including taxis, trains, and elevators, across the country, from Thursday, May 4 through Saturday, May 6. To catch Ashley’s picks and more Derby fun, follow @1stlooktv. 1st Look airs after Saturday Night Live at 1 a.m. ET. The full episode is available here.
NBC AFFILIATES, OWNED STATIONS AND NBC SPORTS REGIONAL NETWORKS: Kentucky Derby promotions will air throughout the week on NBC Affiliates, Owned Stations and NBC Sports Regional networks across the country, with analysis and commentary from NBC Sports Group’s horse racing team on local newscasts.
NBC SPORTS RADIO: NBC Sports Radio will include radio interviews with the on-air Kentucky Derby team throughout the week. NBC Sports Radio will present 2.5 hours of live Kentucky Derby coverage beginning Saturday, May 6 at 5 p.m. ET, and offer a two-hour pre-race show hosted by Jon Stashower on Derby Day beginning at 3 p.m. ET.
UNIVERSAL PARKS: Universal Studios Orlando will host a Kentucky Derby viewing party at the NBC Sports Grill and Brew on Saturday, May 6.
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. Also in 2017, NBC Sports Group televised the world’s richest horse race (the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational) and the $10 million Dubai World Cup, and in June will present the Epsom Derby and the Royal Ascot meet. 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.
–NBC SPORTS GROUP–
