The NFL is definitely going to do the Draft in primetime from now on. Check out this press release from the National Football League. You watched the Draft in droves.
2010 NFL DRAFT: MOST VIEWED FIRST ROUND EVER23.3 Million Total Viewers On NFL Network & ESPNNFL Draft in Primetime Second Only to CBS’ Primetime LineupNFL.com’s 2010 NFL Draft Coverage Sets RecordsFirst-round coverage of the 75th NFL Draft drew a record combined total viewership of 23.3 million viewers on ESPN and NFL Network – up 48% from last year (15.7 million), according to Nielsen Media Research.The combined average viewership of 8.3 million viewers also set a record. The average audience is an increase of 33% over last year (6.3 million viewers, Saturday 4:00 – 7:30 PM) and up 41% from 2008’s NFL Draft (5.9 million viewers, Saturday 3 – 6:30 PM).The NFL Draft in the 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm ET primetime window (8.7 million average viewers) topped all networks other than CBS’ primetime lineup (13.4 million). In addition, more people on average tuned into the 75th Draft than watched hit shows including ABC’s ‘Private Practice’ and NBC’s ‘The Office.’The first round’s 8.3 million average viewers more than doubled the average viewership of the next most-watched sporting event (NBA Playoffs First-Round Game 3 on TNT, Lakers-Thunder; 3.9 million viewers).NFL.com set records with its first round coverage of the 2010 NFL Draft. Unique visits were up 28% and video views were up nearly 20% versus Round 1 last year. LIVE coverage on NFL.com also saw record growth with fans watching 61% more of the first round on NFL.com than they did last year. In addition, 83% more fans than last year accessed NFL.com on their mobile devices to follow the first round of the Draft.
I’ll have more later.
