Report: NBC expected to extend Belmont Stakes rights through 2020
The NBC Sports Group is expected to announce that it will extend its rights and carry the Belmont Stakes through 2020, according to The New York Times.
The announcement is expected to come Wednesday at the Belmont Stakes draw in Manhattan. NBC signed a deal more than a year ago to carry the Kentucky Derby through 2025, and has had designs on securing the rights to all three Triple Crown races long-term.
According to the report, Jon Miller, president for programming for NBC Sports and NBCSN, said the company was unconcerned with the slow pace of talks with the New York Racing Association.
“We were more than happy to work on NYRA’s timing,” Miller told the New York Times. “It’s NYRA. It’s a government thing. Our timing doesn’t always sync up with theirs.”
NBC has yet to extend the Preakness. Miller said those negotiations had been slow, and that “in every negotiation, somebody different has called the shots.” He added, “We’re finally dealing with the right people.”
• To win Belmont, American Pharoah faces challenge of fresh opponents
- Jeremy Woo
