The 'race that stops a nation' stopped it a little less than usual yesterday.
Seven's coverage of the 2016 Melbourne Cup – which resulted in Almandin and jockey Kerrin McEvoy scoring a record fifth win for owner Lloyd Williams – might have owned the day's TV ratings, but numbers were down on last year's spectacle.
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Almandin wins the Melbourne Cup
Almandin wins a thrilling dash to the line to take the 2016 Melbourne Cup at Flemington.
An average metro audience of 1.986 million (2.801 million nationally) took a pause from betting and boozing to tune into the race, down on the 2.068 million (2.931 million nationally) viewers who watched Michelle Payne make history aboard Prince Of Penzance last year.
Payne, who has recently recovered from injury, was busy rubbing shoulders with the Cup's A-listers in The Birdcage, but was on hand to congratulate McEvoy, who is also her brother-in-law.
![Almandin edged out Heartbreak City in a driving finish to the Melbourne Cup.](/web/20161104233213im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/f/o/7/l/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsg18c.png/1478066143688.jpg)
It is Seven's second consecutive ratings drop for the big race, after 2.178 million viewers tuned into Protectionist's win in 2014.
Seven's post-and-pre race coverage, spearheaded by Bruce McAvaney and Francesca Cumani, still ranked as the second and third most watched programs of the day, raking in 1.69 million and 1.405 million viewers respectively.
The figures don't take into account viewing in "pubs, clubs and offices" (or, we presume, vomit-strewn curbsides), Seven noted in a statement.
While the TV broadcast numbers were down, Seven had a win elsewhere.
![Winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy and owner Lloyd Williams with the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.](/web/20161104233213im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/f/m/b/o/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsg18c.png/1478066143688.jpg)
Its digital channels, including Plus7 Live, which streamed the race for the second consecutive year, pulled in 575,000 streams across the day, up 18 per cent from last year's figures, the network said.
With viewers perhaps distracted by other novel events on the day, the Cup's ratings pale in comparison to other recent sporting events.
Seven's coverage of the AFL Final between the Sydney Swans and Western Bulldogs last month saw 6.5 million viewers tuning in across the country, to give the network its highest footy ratings in a decade.
Similarly, Nine's coverage of the NRL Final between the Cronulla Sharks and the Melbourne Storm pulled in 4.226 million viewers nationally, including its biggest ever city audience.