NBC Extends Deal With NYRA for Belmont Stakes

NBC has locked up another leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, agreeing to a multi-year extension with The New York Racing Association for the Belmont Stakes.

The renewal extends the partnership, which began in 2001, and since such time, NBC has televised nine of the past 14 Belmont Stakes (2001-05, 2011-14). The next version of the Belmont Stakes is set for Saturday, June 6, where American Pharoah will attempt to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.

The extension includes multi-platform rights to the Belmont Stakes, Belmont Stakes Day, and key stakes races throughout each year, which will be televised on NBC and NBCSN and featured on NBC’s digital platforms. The Metropolitan Handicap on Belmont Stakes Day, the Belmont Gold Cup Invitational, the Belmont Oaks on July 4, the Wood Memorial, various summer races from Saratoga, and the Jockey Club Gold Cup are also among the high-profile NYRA races that NBC Sports Group will showcase.

Last year, NBC signed a 10-year extension with Churchill Downs Incorporated to continue broadcasting the Kentucky Derby through 2025. Only The Preakness Stakes – the second leg of the Triple Crown – remains to be signed to a new long-term deal; the current deal expires this year.