The 2019 Melbourne Cup Carnival bolted out of Network 10’s stables live and free earlier this month, drawing pack-leading audiences across the network’s television and digital platforms.
Network 10’s multi-platform coverage of the Melbourne Cup Carnival saw 69 hours of rejuvenated live and free television content from Flemington Racecourse including live broadcasts of Studio 10, 10 News First (Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane) and The Project from the first-ever purpose-built studio in the Birdcage.
Viewers could catch more of the excitement and glamour of Flemington through special editions of The Loop and Sports Tonight.
All the Carnival’s races were streamed live and in high-definition on 10 Play, which saw a record number of unique visitors on Cup day. 10 Play also hosted the pop-up radio channel Cup Week Radio, a partnership between Network 10 and RSN with the support of the Victoria Racing Club.
10 Daily delivered all the racing news, fashion updates and celebrity buzz from the Birdcage and – in a Melbourne Cup Carnival first – streamed Myer Fashions on the Field. As part of 10 Speaks’ Short Black podcast series, 10 News First’s Sandra Sully created the Women In Racing series featuring racing icons Gai Waterhouse, Katie Page and Amanda Elliott.
Through Network 10’s partnership with the Victoria Racing Club (VRC), CBS Sports Network televised the Lexus Melbourne Cup Day in the United States in primetime on Monday, 4 November at 9:30 PM, ET.
Network 10 chief executive officer, Paul Anderson, said: “The Melbourne Cup Carnival is one of the leading sporting events in the world and one of the biggest television events in Australia every year.
“Network 10 was the broadcaster of the race that stops a nation for over two decades and we’re delighted to be back at Flemington as the official broadcaster for the first year of a landmark, five-year agreement with the VRC.
“In the first year of our agreement, we have transformed the multi-platform coverage of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, including, for the first time, a multi-layered digital hub,” he said.
“This multi-platform strategy is part of our plan to create a unique, long-term partnership with the VRC that will, among other things, attract a younger audience to the Melbourne Cup Carnival and cover all the action from racing, to fashion and entertainment right across Flemington. This year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup and AAMI Victoria Derby Day saw an increased television audience share among 16 to 39s, which is a great sign in our first year.”
Returning to Network 10 after a 17-year absence, the Carnival reached 4.1 million Australians nationally.
On Tuesday, the Lexus Melbourne Cup’s total national audience hit just over 2 million. 10 Play and 10 Daily drew just under 620,000 unique visitors on Cup day and over 800,000 across the Carnival.
Network 10’s television coverage completely dominated its timeslots, with Tuesday’s main race alone achieving an 87.1% commercial share in under 50s and 85.8% in total people.
The coverage of the AAMI Victoria Derby Day, Lexus Melbourne Cup, Kennedy Oaks Day and Seppelt Wines Stakes Day combined ranked #1 in its timeslot.
And what did some of our partners think of 10’s return to Flemington? Well, they loved it. Read on…
“We are extremely pleased with the quality of integration 10 delivered across the Melbourne Cup Carnival. 10 ensured the LANDMARK by Lexus hospitality was showcased both in broadcast and across the 10 digital network, reinforcing Lexus’ luxury brand credentials to the nation.” – Tracey Schouten, Manager, Marketing Operations, Lexus Australia
“With Network 10, we were able to deliver a number of market firsts, extending the Myer Fashions On The Field brand across more avenues and platforms than ever, and to more people than ever. The event was, for the first time, live streamed to a digital audience thanks to 10 Play and 10 Daily. Through an integrated partnership, we worked with Network 10 to creatively promote our brand across broadcast and digital. This included through Myer ambassador interviews, on-ground branding and, of course, the streaming of our marquee event across the Carnival.” – Geoff Ikin, Chief Customer Officer, Myer
“It was fantastic to work with Network 10 to expand our Melbourne Cup Carnival across broadcast. This year we saw the ‘Kennedy Clock’ and ‘Moments in Time’ segments, where we were able to engage with 10’s audience and bring them along for the journey from their homes.” – James Kennedy, Executive Chairman, Kennedy Luxury Group
“TAB and Sky Racing’s talent were integrated seamlessly into the coverage via race previews and betting market updates providing expert wagering insight and analysis across the four days of the Carnival, and through the Sports Tonight Melbourne Cup preview show.” – Luke Waldren, Executive General Manager Marketing & Customer, Tabcorp
