NBC Sports Group will surround the 143rd Kentucky Derby with a social media blitz, including initiatives with Buzzfeed and Snapchat. NBC Sports Group will continue to roll out Kentucky Derby coverage across all social platforms throughout the week, host special Facebook Lives, feature a Phantom Camera - a high speed video camera used to create super-slow-motion video clips - in the "Peacock Paddock" red carpet set, and more.
NBC Sports Group continues its more than 15 hours of Kentucky Derby Week coverage today, Friday, May 5, live at Noon ET on NBCSN.
NBC hosts a live five-hour Kentucky Derby Day telecast tomorrow, Saturday, May 6 at 2:30 p.m. ET - marking the most extensive Derby Day coverage ever on broadcast television. Saturday's live Derby Day coverage begins at Noon ET on NBCSN.
BUZZFEED AT THE DERBY: For the first time,
NBC Sports Group is teaming up with Buzzfeed, which will be creating and pushing out content on-site in real time on Derby Day. In addition, Buzzfeed's "Tasty" platform has been posting Kentucky Derby-themed recipes to its social media pages to get fans prepped for their Derby parties.
NBC will integrate one of the videos into its broadcast on Saturday - a first for any major sporting event. Click
here to see the video for Tasty's Derby-Style Chocolate Bourbon Balls.
SNAPCHAT LIVE STORY: On Derby Day, Snapchat will host a Live Story for the Derby, allowing users to post from Churchill Downs and from their own viewing parties at home. For the first time,
NBC will incorporate
THE STORY into its broadcast. In addition, Snapchat will host a special Derby-themed lens for fans on its platform.
PEACOCK PADDOCK: As the first stop on the Kentucky Oaks Pink Carpet and Kentucky Derby Red Carpet, the Peacock Paddock will capture the atmosphere at Churchill Downs to share with fans across the country.
Included in the Peacock Paddock is a 55-inch touch screen monitor which will showcase social media trends, Kentucky Derby parties around the country, and assist lifestyle correspondent Dylan Dreyer and social media reporter Rutledge Wood with their segments. As each celebrity begins
THE JOURNEY down the pink and red carpets, they will make their celebrity horse pick that will be distributed via
NBC Sports' social accounts, step onto the platform to showcase their Derby weekend fashion with the Phantom Camera - a high speed video camera used to create super-slow-motion video clips, and stop and chat with Dreyer for a red carpet interview.
FACEBOOK LIVE FROM AROUND CHURCHILL DOWNS: The
NBC Sports Facebook page will provide viewers with various Facebook Lives on Derby Day, including the sun rising over Churchill Downs, a special appearance by the NHL Stanley Cup, an interview with handicapper and NHL analyst Eddie Olczyk, and more. In addition, Wood will go live on Facebook on his page from inside the owner's box at Churchill Downs.
EVERY PLATFORM, EVERY MOMENT:
NBC Sports will be everywhere on every social platform during Derby Week, bringing fans closer to the first leg of the Triple Crown. Daily behind-the-scenes access via
NBC Sports' Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages will highlight exclusive areas at this once-in-a-lifetime event.
KENTUCKY DERBY ALL-ACCESS: Horseracing aficionados and fans of the elegance and glitz of the Derby can access content from Derby Week on NBCSports.com/Derby. Fans can access the full horse racing TV schedule including all Triple Crown races, the Royal Ascot, and The Breeders' Cup World Championships. Also available on the site are downloadable Kentucky Derby party tips, and a photo album showcasing the fashion and atmosphere around Churchill Downs.
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. The 2016 Kentucky Derby on
NBC averaged more than 15.5 million viewers, marking the fourth consecutive year that viewership topped 15 million. Women comprised 51% of 2016 Kentucky Derby viewers - joining the Rio Olympics as the only major sporting events last year with women comprising more than half of the audience.
