Three million viewers tune in to watch the Epsom Derby
Television viewing figures once again confirmed the growing popularity of horse racing as a peak of three million viewers tuned in to watch New Approach win the Derby on BBC on Saturday, 7 June.
A BBC spokesman told H&H: “We are very pleased the figures remained consistent on such a busy weekend of sport.”
The figures match those of last year when Frankie Dettori took his first Derby aboard Authorized.
On Friday 900,000 viewers tuned in to watch the Coronation Cup, won by the Aiden O’Brien trained Soldier of Fortune and the Oaks, won by Look Here.
In March H&H reported that a record audience of two million tuned in to Channel 4 to watch the clash between stablemates Kauto Star and Denman and in April the BBC’s coverage of the Grand National attracted 10.1million viewers, the highest number since 2004.
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A graduate of Exeter University, Amy joined our news team from Redpin Publishing in 2008 as news writer. She was promoted to deputy news editor in May 2013 and became news editor in April 2015. She left Horse & Hound in March 2016 to take up an editorial position in Dubai.