Record viewership is nothing new for the NFL Draft, but with all other sports shuttered, this year’s version soared over the previous high by more than a third.
The NFL Draft averaged 8.4 million viewers across the ESPN family of networks, NFL Network and digital platforms, marking the largest audience ever for the event. Viewership increased 35% over the previous high set last year (6.2M).
Saturday’s final rounds averaged 4.2 million viewers, up 32% from last year and a record for day three of the event (three-day format began in 2010).
All three days of the draft set a viewership record, with Thursday’s opening rounds averaging 15.6 million and Friday’s second and third rounds 8.2 million.
Since the NFL added a broadcast network to its draft roster in 2018, the event has set a new viewership record each year. The draft averaged just 4.6 million as recently as 2017, the last time coverage aired solely on cable.
This year’s numbers were no doubt aided by a lack of competition. The NFL Draft usually competes with the NBA and NHL playoffs and a full slate of Major League Baseball games, but all of those events have been wiped out by efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
The draft accounts for three of the five largest sports audiences since the majority of events were called off on March 11-12, the exceptions being parts one and two of the ESPN 30 For 30 “The Last Dance” last Sunday (6.3 and 5.8 million respectively).
Columbus, Ohio, led all markets for the full event with an 8.8 rating. Cleveland was a close second at an 8.7, followed by Philadelphia (8.6). Kansas City and Cincinnati rounded out the top five, tying at an 8.5.
Average NFL Draft viewership since three-day format began in 2010
[Nielsen estimates from NFL PR 4.26]
