NFL Draft Breaks Viewership Records
By Brian Steinberg
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Last week’s telecast of the annual Draft was the most watched in the event’s history, according to statistics provided by the National Football League.
More than 47.5 million TV viewers tuned in to some part of various broadcasts of the Draft, which was televised across ESPN, ESPN2, Deportes, ABC and the , as well as social and digital outlets controlled by ESPN or the league. according to Nielsen. The figures represent a 5% jump from 2017’s broadcasts across ESPN, Fox and the NFL Network.
This marked the second consecutive year all seven rounds of the three-day event were aired on a broadcast-TV outlet. ESPN, Disney’s sports-cable outlet, has televised the event for decades.
An average of 6.1 million TV and digital viewers tuned in to the event, the NFL said.
“The 2019 was a tremendous continuation of the celebration of the NFL’s 100th season and an opportunity to welcome the next generation of stars,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in a prepared statement. “Dramatic and emotional storylines played out in cities across the country with the energetic host city of Nashville serving as a breathtaking backdrop to hundreds of thousands of passionate fans who lined the streets and enjoyed a unique NFL Draft Experience.”
The league said the 2019 more than 600,000 fans in Nashville attended the event, compared to the most recent record, 250,000 in Philadelphia in 2017.
