It was a carnival like no other, in a year like no other, and Australians embraced Network 10’s multi-platform coverage of the 2020 Melbourne Cup Carnival.
While Flemington Racecourse looked very different this year, Network 10’s live and free coverage on television and 10 Play, gave all Australians the best access, the best views and the best seat to the carnival.
Across the week, the 2020 Melbourne Cup Carnival reached 4.4 million Australians on Network 10 nationally.
Across all events – AAMI Victoria Derby Day, Lexus Melbourne Cup Day, Kennedy Oaks Day and Seppelt Wines Stakes Day – the 2020 Melbourne Cup Carnival was #1 in its timeslot in total people, under 50s, 25 to 54s and 16 to 39s.
On Tuesday, the Lexus Melbourne Cup reached 3.05 million people, with a national audience on television and 10 Play of 2.01 million viewers. It was the #1 program on Tuesday and 10’s #2 program of 2020. It delivered a commercial share of 84.6% in total people and a whopping 88.7% share in people under 50, up 86.4% on 2019.
On 10 Play, the Lexus Melbourne Cup race live stream had 144,000 viewers, up 47% on 2019. It was 10 Play’s biggest audience for a live stream ever. The entire day had 683,000 live stream starts, up 38% on 2019 and 240,000 unique visitors, up 69% on 2019.
The Lexus Melbourne Cup was also the #1 free-to-air television program on social media on Tuesday with 137,000 social media interactions, up 61% on 2019.
Based in a new purpose-built broadcast centre at Flemington Racecourse, Gorgi Coghlan and Stephen Quartermain led 10’s stellar coverage.
The team also included racing host Michael Felgate, current trainer and expert commentator Peter Moody, Group 1 winning jockey James Winks, form expert David Gately, horseback interviewer Brittany Taylor and racing reporters Caty Price and Annie Kearney.
Joining them were international racing expert Francesca Cumani (live from the UK), 10 Sport presenters Roz Kelly and Kate Peck, fashion reporter Rob Mills, and Studio 10 hosts Sarah Harris, Tristan MacManus, Angela Bishop and Narelda Jacobs, as the broadcast reached all parts of the country and the world with CBS Sports Network also televising the Lexus Melbourne Cup Day in the United States.
Plus, viewers were treated to special appearances and performances by some of Australia’s greatest artists including Kylie Minogue, Delta Goodrem, Jon Stevens, ILLY, Pete Murray, Bonnie Anderson, Kate Miller-Heidke and The Rubens.
And what would the Melbourne Cup Carnival be without a sprinkling of fashion? This year saw the iconic Myer Fashions on the Field go digital with all Australian’s invited to compete in Myer Fashions on your Front Lawn which showcased favourites in High Fashion, innovative hats and millinery, creative designers and more.
ViacomCBS Australia and New Zealand Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President, Beverley McGarvey, said: “The Melbourne Cup Carnival is one of the greatest sporting events of the year and we were proud to again partner with the Victoria Racing Club to bring it to all Australians and to people around the world.
“In what has been a difficult and challenging year for so many people, the Melbourne Cup Carnival provided a much-needed distraction, as well as being a fun and entertaining spectacle for people of all ages. Our multi-platform coverage ensured that everyone had a ticket to a fantastic carnival.
“The Melbourne Cup Carnival is a big production and I’d like to thank everyone at 10 for their great work in unusual circumstances. I’d also like to thank the Victoria Racing Club, our partners and our sponsors for their tremendous support,” she said.
The major sponsors of Network 10’s 2020 Melbourne Cup Carnival were TAB, Lexus, Harvey Norman, Furphy, Seppelt Wines, Kennedy, Mumm, Hendrick’s Gin, Visit Victoria and Yates.
Network 10 and ViacomCBS Chief Sales Officer, Rod Prosser, said: “The 2020 Melbourne Cup Carnival delivered a fantastic result for clients and advertisers.
“Not only did it reach 4.4 million Australians, but the agility and creativity employed by the teams at Network 10 and Victoria Racing Carnival ensured that it really was a reimagined multi-platform coverage.
“It not only delivered a solid audience but also premium content and integrations for all our sponsors.”
2020 Melbourne Cup Carnival audience highlights:
Lexus Melbourne Cup:
• 3.05 million national reach.
• #1 in its timeslot.
• Race: television audience peaked at 1.96 million nationally, averaged 1.86 million.
• Race: 84.6% commercial share in total people.
• Race: 10 Play live stream audience, 144,000 viewers.
• Presentation: 84.6% commercial share in total people and 88.7% in under 50s.
• Mounting Yard: 1.16 million viewers nationally on television and 10 Play.
• Mounting Yard: 73.1% commercial share in total people and 77.3% commercial share in under 50s.
Source: OzTAM, 5 City Metro, Regional TAM, Combined Aggregate Markets, National audience on television and 10 Play includes Live stream VPM rating, OzTAM National VPM, Nielsen Social Content Ratings.
