Melbourne Cup romps home in the ratings race for Nine

Nine’s decision to buy the rights to the Melbourne Cup for the next six years, despite a looming gambling advertising ban, has paid dividends in the first year.

Interestingly, it was the post-race presentation that drew the biggest national audience, with 2.218 million punters tuning in for the victory march. The ‘late’ broadcast, coming just before Nine’s 6pm news drew 2.157 million viewers, slightly less than Nine News’ 2.215 million viewers, and more than the race itself.