ESPN: Most watched NFL Draft ever among viewers

spotted this release over at Fangs Bites

ESPN’s Most-Watched NFL Draft Ever Among Viewers

ESPN’s live three-day telecast of the 2010 NFL Draft – including the first two nights in prime time for the first time – was the most-watched NFL Draft ever among viewersand the second most-watched ever among households in the network’s 31 years of televising the event. Overall, the 14 ½ hours of 2010 NFL Draft coverage on ESPN and ESPN2 averaged 2,853,000 households and 3,717,000 viewers (based on fast nationals) — up 24% and 27%, respectively from last year, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The 2010 Draft finished just 2,000 households shy of the record-setting 2006 audience (2,855,000 households).

On Friday night, ESPN’s one-hour of coverage (6-7 p.m. ET) for the start of Round 2 delivered a 2.6 rating, 2,534,000 households, and 3,152,000 viewers. Coverage continued on ESPN2 from 7-10:30 p.m., delivering a 2.6 rating, 2,606,000 households, and 3,369,000 viewers. Together, the two networks averaged 2,590,000 households and 3,320,000 viewers Friday night – up 10% and 6%, respectively, for Round 2 a year ago.

ESPN’s day-long coverage on Saturday (10 a.m.-5:19 p.m.) delivered a 1.8 household rating, a 10% increase from a 1.6 for the corresponding coverage (on Sunday) in 2009.

As previously reported, ESPN’s Thursday night telecast (7:30-11:20 p.m. ET) of Round 1 delivered a 5.3 household coverage rating and 7,290,000 viewers, 23% higher than last year’s first round (4.3). Also, the telecast equaled the 5.3 rating from ESPN’s first round in 2006 and surpassed that year’s viewership mark of 5,925,000.

You know the NFL is popular when a Thursday showing of the NFL DRAFT beats out the NHL and NBA playoffs (handily.  I think the corresponding NBA playoff game only pulled a 2.3 or 2.8 rating on Thursday night).  It looks as though the NFL is just further cementing its place as America’s pasttime.   A few things I’d do before next year though:

– Sign a collective bargaining agreement so that a draft even happens next year

– To ESPN & NFLN stop showing everyone picking up the phone pre-pick cause…guess what? Any excitement that existed? It’s gone.

– To ESPN:  If you have personalities (*cough* Schefter *cough*) tweet all of the picks before they’re announced, you know who’s not going to watch your coverage? This guy.  I’m going to be subjected to Chris Berman doing nick names for players all season; I want to start that process as late in the year as possible.  I’m there for the picks.  If I already know the pick, and the analysis is something like “this guy is a warrior…” Then, yeah. Not a lot of reason to keep watching your coverage.

Tags: ESPN, NFL Draft, NFLN, ratings

Category: Football