More than 55 million viewers across the country watched some part of the three-day NFL draft, a record high for the event, according to Nielsen figures released Sunday by the NFL.
At any given time, the average national audience was a draft-record 8.4 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, NFL Network and digital channels.
Compared with 2019, the average audience was up 35% and the total viewers up 16%, the NFL said.
The first round Thursday averaged 15.6 million viewers (up 37% vs. 2019), Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday averaged 8.2 million (up 40%), and Rounds 4-7 on Saturday averaged 4.2 million (up 32%).
The Atlanta TV market posted the sixth-highest rating among the 56 metered markets across the three days, including the second-highest Friday. The top six markets across all networks for all seven rounds were Columbus, Ohio, at an average rating of 8.8, Cleveland at 8.7, Philadelphia at 8.6, Kansas City at 8.5, Cincinnati at 8.5 and Atlanta at 8.2. The rating is the percentage of a market’s households tuned in on average.
Record viewership for this year’s draft was expected because of the large number of people staying at home and the lack of competition on TV from other live sports events, with both the NBA and MLB seasons shut down by the coronavirus pandemic.
Fascination about the NFL’s first virtual draft, which featured more than 600 camera feeds from the homes of players, coaches, general managers, fans, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and others, also may have attracted viewers.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the efforts and collaboration of our clubs, league personnel and our partners to conduct an efficient draft and share an unforgettable experience with millions of fans during these uncertain times,” Goodell said in a statement Sunday.