Nine’s comprehensive, wall-to-wall coverage of the 2025 Melbourne Cup Carnival has proven a massive ratings success, with 5.5 million Australians tuning in to the 9Network across the four spectacular days of racing, fashion and entertainment.

From the monochrome magic of Derby Day to the history-making Melbourne Cup, the glamour of Oaks Day and the family fun of Stakes Day, audiences flocked to Nine’s coverage. All four days of the carnival delivered significant year-on-year audience growth, driven by an explosive shift to live streaming on 9Now.

The momentum built across the week, with Stakes Day closing the carnival in style, posting a huge 28.9% year-on-year lift in its Total TV Audience (264,000) and a 81.7% surge in streaming on 9Now.

Oaks Day also delivered a standout result. The Total TV National Audience soared by 20.4% year-on-year to 318,000, while its 9Now BVOD audience jumped by a massive 75.4%.

The week kicked off with a huge digital result for Derby Day, which saw its BVOD audience on 9Now explode by 80.9% year-on-year. The Total TV Audience grew 5.4% year-on-year to 262,000.

This outstanding carnival performance was anchored by the enormous success of Melbourne Cup Day, where ‘the race that stops a nation’ captivated 2.316 million Australians. The race itself saw its Total TV National Audience grow by 8.9% year-on-year to 2.079 million, including a record-breaking BVOD audience of 464,000 on 9Now.

Brent Williams, Nine’s Director of Sport, said: “The 2025 Melbourne Cup Carnival is one of the crown jewels of Australian sport and these numbers show its popularity is stronger than ever. We are incredibly proud to see significant, double-digit audience growth on Oaks and Stakes Day, and phenomenal digital numbers across the entire week.

“To have all four days of the carnival grow year-on-year is a fantastic result. It proves that Nine’s Total TV approach, combining the power of live free-to-air with the massive growth of 9Now, is the clear future of sports broadcasting. Together with our partners at the VRC, we delivered a world-class, premium broadcast, and Australians responded in droves.”

For further information, please contact:
Terry Stuart – Senior Communications Manager
tstuart@nine.com.au

Wednesday, 12 November, 2025