Nine’s coverage of the Lexus Melbourne Cup on 5 November attracted a National Total TV average Audience of 1.910 million viewers, marking an 11.3% increase compared to last year.
Last year’s broadcast on Network 10 recorded 1,110,000 viewers. 9Now’s BVOD audience of 371,000, up 80.4% on 2023’s streaming figures.
2022’s Race That Stops A Nation was also broadcast on 10 and recorded 1,024,000 viewers. At the time, this was down on the 2021 race, which was watched by 1,213,000. The 2020 race was watched by 1,410,000.
Following the 2024 race, the Melbourne Cup – Presentation held a National Total TV Average Audience of 1.586 million, up 23% year-on-year.
The Melbourne Cup – Mounting Yard segment recorded a National Total TV Average Audience of 1.347 million, a 21.5% rise from last year’s figures.
Across the entire day, Nine’s broadcast of the Melbourne Cup achieved a National Total TV Reach of 3.7 million, a 30.4% increase on last year’s broadcast.
The race itself saw an upset by Knight’s Choice, the 100-to-1 outsider, whose victory stunned the racing world. The horse was ridden by Queensland-based, Irish-born jockey, Robbie Dolan, who also appeared on The Voice as a contestant in 2022.
Brent Williams, director of sport for the 9Network, reflected on the success of the broadcast and the excitement of the event:
“This year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup brought viewers a truly unforgettable story with Knight’s Choice and Robbie Dolan’s extraordinary win. The incredible ratings highlight Australia’s love for the Melbourne Cup and Nine’s commitment to bringing the best live sports experience to fans across the country. We’re proud to have shared all the excitement and drama of Cup Day with our audience.”
Nine has the broadcast rights for the Melbourne Cup from 2024 until 2029, but some viewers were still left in the dark when 3:00 pm rolled around.
News.com.au reported on Wednesday morning that thousands of Aussies tuned in to watch the Melbourne Cup only to realise they were watching on the wrong network.
One Twitter user posted: “Been watching Channel 7 for three hours only to realise the bloody Melbourne Cup is on Channel 9. Missed the whole thing. Sums up the day really”.
Another posted: “It’s ‘The race that stops a nation’ (Until some of the nation realise too late they’ve been watching the wrong horse race meeting on Channel 7 instead of 9)”.
One user wrote: “I think Channel Seven should not be allowed to have a program called “Seven’s Horse Racing” on at the same time as the Melbourne Cup”.