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    NFL Draft Audience Up 12% From Last Year

    • Three-day event averages 6M viewers across ESPN, ABC and NFL Network
    • League reaches an unduplicated audience of 54.M viewers.
    By
    May 01, 2023 | 02:14 pm
    UPDATED May 02, 2023 | 12:31 am
    NFL Draft
    Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

    With quarterbacks as the star attraction, the 2023 NFL Draft increased its TV viewership by 12%.

    The three-day event averaged six million viewers across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ABC and NFL Network. That was up 12% from the 5.3 million average in 2022.

    The Draft’s viewership numbers were up each day (Thursday-Friday-Saturday) compared to last year. Over 312,000 fans attended the live event in Kansas City, home of the Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

    A general view while the Dallas Cowboys make their pick during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas.
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    The league says this year’s NFL Draft drew a total unduplicated audience in the U.S. of 54.4 million viewers.

    Starting with Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young of Alabama, quarterbacks were taken with three of the first four picks during Thursday’s first round.

    The average viewership for Thursday’s first-round coverage rose 11% to 11.4 million viewers.

    ESPN Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. worked his 40th event this year. The Walt Disney Co’s ESPN and ABC both offered their own version of the Draft for the fifth year in a row. And the league’s own NFLN covered the Draft for the 17th year in a row.

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