Thursday September 21, 2023
The Best Employers in Sports Survey is Now Open!

NFL Draft’s 1st Round TV Audience Up 11% to 11.4M Viewers

  • Quarterbacks make TV difference, with three taken in the first four picks.
  • Only one QB was taken in last year’s entire 1st round.
C.J. Stroud selected second in NFL Draft.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Front Office Sports Today

Could Promotion-Relegation work in College Football?

The proposal aims to create an exciting media product while reducing travel for non-football sports.
Listen Now
September 21, 2023 | Podcast
Linkedin
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

The NFL is a quarterback-driven league. It turns out the television appeal of the NFL Draft is as well.

With three QBs taken in the first four picks, average viewership for the first round rose 11% to 11.4 million viewers across TV and digital. 

Thursday night’s first round was covered live across The Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN/ESPN Deportes, ABC, the NFL Network and various digital channels.

The league said it drew a total unduplicated audience of 34.2 million, up 2% from last year. 

The selection strategy by NFL clubs this year was a far cry from the 2022 Draft, when only one QB was taken in the 1st Round (Kenny Pickett, who went to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 20). 

Without QBs to drive ratings, TV audiences for the 2022 Draft fell to their lowest levels in five years. 

A general view while the Dallas Cowboys make their pick during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas.

Nobody Wanted To Show The NFL Draft. Now It Owns TV.

Televising it was once a preposterous idea. Now it’s the gold standard.
April 22, 2023

As a TV spectacle, the NFL Draft is part reality show, part pigskin Woodstock. There was plenty of QB drama to attract viewers Thursday night. 

Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young of Alabama went No. 1 to the Carolina Panthers, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State went No. 2 to the Houston Texans, and the raw but talented Anthony Richardson went No. 4 to the Indianapolis Colts.

There was also some green room suspense as millions of TV viewers watched QB Will Levis of Kentucky fall through the entire first round without getting picked. Levis left Kansas City rather than spend another excruciating night in front of the cameras. 

While the numbers were strong, they were still well off the record 15.6 million viewers for the first round of the 2020 Draft at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Thursday’s opening round of the NFL Draft averaged a combined 11.29 million viewers across ESPN (5.62M), ABC (4.11M) and NFL Network (1.56M), up 13% from last year (10.03M). The ESPN and ABC broadcasts increased 26% and 8% respectively from last year (4.45M; 3.80M), which made up for a 12% decline for NFL Network,” said Sports Media Watch.

“The combined audience is the third-highest on record for night one of the draft, trailing 2021 (12.52M) and the anomalous 2020 edition that aired during an unprecedented drought of live sporting events (15.26M).”

Linkedin
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Deion Sanders and The Rock

Deion Sanders Reshaping College Football Fanbase With Buffaloes Surge

Deion Sanders has made Colorado "Black America's Team."
Fanatics is buying auction marketplace PWCC.

Fanatics Nabbing WWE Rights In Latest Win Over Panini

Fanatics will take over WWE's trading card rights.
RFK

RFK Stadium Bill Advances in Congress

Congress' vote is the first step towards returning the NFL to D.C.

Can Amazon Keep Up NFL Viewership Boost After Record Week 1?

The San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants face off on Thursday night.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

Could Promotion-Relegation work in College Football?

0:00
0:00

Featured Today

Rupert Murdoch's Exit Leaves Lasting Fox Sports Legacy

Rupert Murdoch steps down as chairman of Fox Corp. and News Corp.
Could ESPN lose events such as the NBA Finals if it sold ABC.
September 21, 2023

Selling ABC Poses Billion-Dollar Dilemma for Disney and ESPN's Future

Losing ABC would create complications as ESPN enters NBA rights negotiations.
Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs the ball against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks during the first half at Albertsons Stadium.
exclusive
September 20, 2023

The First Official Proposal for Promotion-Relegation In College Football

Realignment is forcing Group of 5 schools to rethink their structure.
A general view of Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Stadium.
September 20, 2023

Political Support Grows for RFK Stadium Bill

The Commanders exited RFK after the 1996 NFL season for FedEx Field.

Careers

Powered By

Careers in Sports

Looking for a new job? Check out these featured listings and search for openings all over the world.
Chicago Cubs
Chicago
Fanatics
New York
Tri Star Sports and Entertainment Group, Inc.
USA - Multiple Locations
NBC will reportedly pay $287 million annually across five years to air broadcast on USA Network.

NBC Inks WWE SmackDown Rights for Reported $1.4 Billion

The reported rights fee is about 40% higher than SmackDown's Fox deal.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is tripped up by New York Jets defensive end Solomon Thomas in the second quarter at AT&T Stadium.
September 20, 2023

NFL Viewership Sees 2% Increase in First Two Weeks of 2023 Season

The NFL is experiencing its highest viewership since 2018.
September 19, 2023

WBD Pursues ‘Different’ Strategy For Sports on Max

Company to place all of its live sports on new streaming tier
Deion Sanders
September 19, 2023

Colorado's Epic Victory Sets New ESPN Prime Time Viewership Record

Coach Prime Deion Sanders delivered in prime time on ESPN.
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman
September 18, 2023

'Monday Night Football' Returns To ABC Amid Entertainment Breakdown

ABC will simulcast 15 regular season "Monday Night Football" games.
September 15, 2023

DSG Looks To Use NHL Kings Deal As Reorganization Model

Agreement arrives as bankrupt RSN operator nears deadline for reorganization plan
September 14, 2023

Netflix Fatigue May Be Hitting Sports Docuseries

Netflix cameras won't have full access at the Ryder Cup.
September 14, 2023

NBA Cracks Down On Player Rest Ahead of Multi-Billion Dollar Rights Talks

NBA rest days will be regulated as league prepares for rights talks.