The 2024 NFL draft in Detroit kicks off tonight across television and streaming services with several marquee college quarterbacks expected to be among the first players chosen.

ESPN, ABC, ESPN Deportes and NFL Network will offer live coverage of the three-day draft’s first round on TV, while ESPN Plus and NFL Plus will stream the event.

ESPN’s Get Up! morning show host Mike Greenberg will anchor the network’s 45th year of draft coverage, while Rece Davis will host ABC’s main coverage. On the NFL Network, Rich Eisen will lead coverage of the draft.

The Chicago Bears will be the first team on the clock and are expected to draft USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick. Other quarterbacks projected to be drafted early include North Carolina’s Drake Maye, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. 

Other players projected to be drafted within the first 10 picks include wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State) and Malik Nabers (LSU). 

Following the Bears, the 10 teams scheduled to pick in order include the Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Bears and New York Jets. 

ABC, ESPN2 and NFL Network will air rounds two and three of the draft Friday night, with ABC, ESPN and NFL Network televising rounds four to seven on Saturday afternoon. 

The three-day 2023 NFL draft averaged 6 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and digital channels, an increase of 12% over 2022's 5.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen numbers reported by the league.  

EGO Outdoor Power Tools has selected to be the presenting sponsor of On the Clock, an ESPN series looking at four of the top college quarterbacks expected to be picked in the NFL Draft, which will also be televised by ESPN.

The series features Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning and is produced by the Mannings’ Omaha Productions along with NFL Films. It will appear on ESPN Plus and ESPN2 starting April 10.

On the Clock follows Bryce Young of Alabama, Anthony Richardson of the University of Florida, Hendon Hooker from Tennessee and Will Levis of Kentucky.

As a sponsor, Disney Ad Sales said EGO will appear in the show’s opening animations, on billboards and will have logo placements throughout the series. EGO, a division of Chervon, will also be featured in ESPN studio programs including the SportsCenter Draft Special, NFL Live, Get Up and First Take.

“At EGO, we’ve always pushed ourselves to be the best and set the standard for battery powered yard equipment. That’s why we are honored to sponsor On The Clock,” said Joe Turoff, chief marketing officer, Chervon North America. “Our innovation, technology, and determination has made us the #1 rated brand in cordless outdoor power. We can’t wait to see these athletes push themselves to become number No. 1 as well.” 

Theresa Palmieri, VP, Disney Ad Sales, Sports, told Broadcasting+Cable that EGO was interested in the show’s concept as early as last summer.as the show was developed. Details of the sponsorship were nailed down in December.

“They stuck with us through the journey as the title was changing and as securing quarterbacks for the show was actually difficult, given the current status with NIL [college sports name, image and likeness rules],” Palmieri said. “I give credit to the EGO team. They believed in us working to figure this all out. It will be very timely and relevant and it really made for a great partnership.”

Each episode of the show will have a segment called “Powerful Moments,” in which the Mannings will recall their own draft memories. The Mannings will also put the quarterback prospect through their paces at the Manning Passing Academy.

“We have research that shows that sports fans and especially the younger generation of fans. They want to understand more about these athletes than what they see on the field,” Palmieri added. 

The NFL Draft represents a pivotal point for these athletes and a great moment for getting their back story, she said.

“This type of content allows us to serve sports fans. They want a deeper dive on these athletes and they want to feel a connection,” Palmieri said. “I think that's also what really made sense for EGO. I think they understand that the younger generation of sports fans is very tech-savvy and innovation-focused, which makes them a really great target for their brand.”

Below is a snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of April 25-May 1, showcasing the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and network and show TV ad impressions insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 19 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

NBA playoff games are TV’s most-watched programming again in this week’s watch-time ranking. From April 25-May 1, NBA games accounted for 3.53% of all TV minutes watched as viewers tuned into the end of the first round of the postseason and the start of conference semifinal series.

Some additional insights about the top programming on TV:

• NFL Draft coverage across ABC, ESPN and NFL Network scored 2.52% of watch-time as teams picked 262 new players in three days.
• NCIS: New Orleans jumps from No. 20 to No. 12 week-over-week, and is one of seven procedurals among our top 25 programs.
• Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives pulls into our top 25 rankings at No. 22, up from No. 32 the previous week.
• With so much NFL Draft and NBA action, viewers were bound to miss some highlights, which helped fuel SportsCenter’s rise from No. 8 to No. 5 week-over-week.

Coverage of the NFL Draft and NBA playoffs helped ABC maintain its spot as the most-watched network for the third consecutive week. ABC tallied 7.26% of minutes watched for the week, which is up from 6.76% from April 18-24.

More insights around the most-watched networks from April 25-May 1:

• Speaking of the draft, the three-day event was enough to push ESPN up from No. 7 to No. 6 week-over-week, swapping places with TNT.
• IFC rode syndicated sitcoms like Two and a Half Men and Everybody Loves Raymond to a modest increase from No. 10 to No. 9 by watch-time week-over-week.
• More baseball meant more minutes watched for TBS, as MLB (with an assist from wrestling) drove a one-spot rise from No. 19 to No. 18 week-over-week.
• The CW’s primetime slate helped push the network to No. 20 this week, up from No. 23 the week of April 18-24.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

NBA playoff games delivered the most TV ad impressions from April 25 to May 1, with 3.92 billion (7.73% of the impressions total for the week). That’s more than double the number of impressions for the No. 2 programming, the three-day NFL Draft.

More data about the top programs by TV ad impressions:

• Despite “just” moving from No. 6 to No. 5 week-over-week, SportsCenter impressions climbed by 25% when compared to April 18-24.
• MSNBC’s Morning Joe is one of several news-focused programs on the move, jumping from No. 30 to No. 25 by impressions week-over-week.
• Fox News’ Jesse Watters Primetime is also new to our rankings this week, climbing from No. 26 to No. 22 by impressions.
• Despite both shows each dropping by one spot in our rankings week-over-week, both Good Morning America (up 6%) and Today (up 12%) increased impressions week-over-week.

Tentpole programming paid off for ABC, which seizes the top spot in our ad-impressions-by-network ranking from April 25 to May 1. ABC’s NBA playoffs and NFL Draft broadcasts were a big part of the network delivering 13.9% of the week’s TV ad impressions.

Additional insights around the top networks by impressions from April 25-May 1:

• Speaking of the NFL Draft, NFL Network’s simulcast of the event helped push the cable channel to No. 20 in our rankings (up considerably from No. 59 the previous week).
• Cable news keeps climbing, as both Fox News (up 9%) and MSNBC (up 5%) increased impressions week-over-week.
• Car racing keeps up the pace for Fox Sports 1, accounting for about 50% of the network’s impressions for the week as FS1 soars from No. 19 to No. 14 in our ranking.
• Primetime and daytime programming were responsible for the lion’s share of CBS impressions for the week, combining for nearly 71% on the week.

Disney Ad Sales said it has a lineup of nearly 100 advertisers set to sponsor coverage of the NFL Draft on ESPN and ABC April 28-30.

The mix includes 13 big-ticket official sponsors and 30 that did not participate in the event last year.

The presenting sponsor for the NFL Draft on ESPN is Courtyard by Marriott. Chevrolet will be the presenting sponsor of ESPN’s pre-draft digital live show on April 25-26.

The NFL Draft on ABC featuring the College GameDay crew is sponsored by The Home Depot. Home Depot also sponsors College GameDay draft coverage on ESPN.

EGO, which makes electric lawnmowers, is a first-time sponsor of NFL Live.

DieHard Batteries and Toyota and new sponsors of ESPN’s draft coverage. DieHard will sponsor camera shots of players prior to being selected in Las Vegas or via remote. Toyota presents a Draft Fact feature integrated into draft coverage.

Other sponsors include Goodyear, Indeed, Nationwide, Pizza Hut, Subway and USAA. Goodyear’s sponsorship includes aerial coverage from its iconic blimp.

“We’re always impressed by the sponsorship turnout for the NFL Draft and this year is no different,” Jim Minnich, senior VP, revenue & yield management, Disney Advertising, said. “With over 30 new advertisers we’re excited about the opportunities for so many brands to connect with football fans all over.” ■

Fox News Channel held off a challenge from ESPN to finish first on last week’s primetime cable ratings charts, according to Nielsen.

Fox News averaged 2.2 million viewers for the week of April 26 to May 2, reported Nielsen. ESPN, fueled by the 6.4 million viewers who tuned into its April 29 NFL Draft first round coverage -- averaged 2 million viewers for the week to finish second.

Also Read: Report: NFL Draft Scores 1.25 Million Viewers 

MSNBC was third with 1.6 million viewers, followed by HGTV with 1.2 million watchers and CNN with 1.1 million viewers. TBS (849,000), Hallmark Channel (839,000), History (832,000), TNT (768,000) and INSP (749,000) finished among the top 10 most-watched networks for the week. 

Fox News again topped the total day chart with 1.2 million viewers, the 11th straight week the network has topped both ratings charts. MSNBC (887,000 viewers), CNN (694,000), ESPN (688,000) and HGTV (658,000) rounded out the top five list, according to Nielsen.   

Also Read: Cable News Networks Dominate April Monthly Total Day Chart 

This is a quick snapshot of TV by the numbers for the week of April 26 through May 2, revealing the most-watched shows and networks using glass-level data from Vizio’s Inscape, and the top shows and networks by TV ad impressions with insights via iSpot.tv.

Most-Watched Shows and Networks

Via Inscape, Vizio’s TV data product with glass-level insights from a panel of more than 17 million active and opted-in smart TVs. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

The NFL Draft jumped into first place, capturing 2.66% of all minutes watched during the week. The Kentucky Derby also made the top 10, coming in at No. 8 with 0.67% of watch-time. Home Town on HGTV rocketed up the ranking from No. 25 to No. 15, while Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives also saw a notable week-over-week increase.

Thanks in part to the 147th Kentucky Derby, NBC took first place on the network ranking, with 6.69% of all minutes watched. CBS moved up a notch to No. 2, while ABC and Fox both slipped down one place; TNT was another network that dropped in the chart week-over-week, down to No. 18 from No. 11 previously. Bravo, which wasn’t on the ranking last time, moved into No. 23 with 1.07% of watch-time for the week.

Top Shows and Networks by TV Ad Impressions

Via iSpot.tv, the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company. Rankings are by TV ad impressions, for new episodes only. 

The 2021 NFL Draft was the only program to generate over 1 billion TV ad impressions during the week, with the top count (615.4 million impressions) coming from ESPN. Both NBA basketball and MLB baseball slipped in the rankings: NBA was down from first place to No. 6 with a 45.8% week-over-week decrease in impressions, while MLB saw a 11.63% decrease, down to 564.6 million TV ad impressions.The 147th Kentucky Derby landed in the top 10 with 573.9 million impressions and PGA Tour Golf had an 11% week-over-week impression increase.

Once again, CBS takes first place, and saw a 32.61% week-over-week increase in TV ad impressions, up to 7.7 billion. Thanks in part to the NFL Draft, ESPN also had an increase in impressions, up to 2.3 billion from 1.8 billion the previous week. Lifetime and The CW were two newcomers to the ranking. Lifetime delivered 327.5 million TV ad impressions, 42% of which came from Married at First Sight. The CW generated 304.8 million TV ad impressions, led by new episodes of All American, Kung Fu, William & Kate’s Royal Anniversary and Supergirl.

 The first round of the NFL Draft was the top pick for more than 12 million viewers Thursday night, according to SportsMediaWatch.com 

The event generated 12.5 million viewers across ESPN, ABC and NFL Network, falling just short of the record 15.2 million watchers that tuned into last year’s event, according to the report. Of the three networks ESPN drew the most viewers with 6.4 million. 

The NFL Draft saw three quarterbacks chosen with the first three picks of the draft, with the Jacksonville Jaguars choosing Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence chosen with the first pick, the New York Jets taking Brigham Young’s Zach Wilson with the second pick and the San Francisco 49ers choosing North Dakota State’s Trey Lance at number three.

ABC had the winning score in Thursday prime, thanks to the NFL draft. ABC scored a 1.0 in viewers 18-49, per the Nielsen overnights, and a 7 share, well ahead of the 0.4/3 put up by both CBS and NBC. 

ABC had the draft on across primetime. Last year’s NFL draft got a 1.6 and a 7 share. 

CBS had Young Sheldon up 17% to 0.7 and United States of Al at a flat 0.5. Mom got a 0.5 and B Positive a 0.4, both off a tenth. A Clarice rerun closed out prime. 

NBC had two hours of Manifest down 20% to 0.4 and a Law & Order: SVU rerun. 

Univision did a 0.4/2 and Telemundo a 0.2/2. 

On Univision it was Disenando Tu Amor at 0.4, Te Acuerdas De Mi at 0.4 and La Hija Del Embajador at 0.3, all three flat. 

Telemundo had Exatlon Estados Unidos at a flat 0.3, La Suerte De Loli level at 0.2 and Buscando A Frida up 50% to 0.3.

Fox did a 0.2/1. A Name That Tune rerun led into Last Man Standing, which was off 40% for a 0.3. Sketch special Let’s Be Real got a 0.2. 

The CW scored a 0.1/1. Special William & Kate’s Royal Anniversary did a 0.1 and led into a rerun of Harry & Meghan’s American Dream. 

ESPN NFL draft analyst was out of play for the virtual draft Thursday (April 23) due to COVID-19. 

He tweeted Thursday before the draft that he was sorry to say he would be a no show because he was recovering from coronavirus. 

[embed]https://twitter.com/McShay13/status/1253373371854786561[/embed]

McShay joined ESPN in 2006 as a college football and NFL draft analyst, contributing to SportsCenter, NFL Live, College Football Live, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, and ESPN The Magazine. 

Related: Multichannel News' Complete coverage of COVID-19

He had been part of the ESPN draft coverage since 2006.

To say it’s a surreal time in the sports world is an understatement. With the majority of sports cancelled or on hiatus for the foreseeable future, it’s uncharted territory for owners, leagues, players, broadcasters and especially fans.

The 2020 NFL Draft on April 23 is no exception to this new reality, and the league has needed to make drastic changes. Moving from glitzy Las Vegas to a remote TV studio without eager, excited fans — not to mention without the NFL hopefuls who have been anticipating the moment when their name is called out and they shake hands with the commissioner — will reshape how we watch and consume sports in this new environment.

The draft is expected to have a surge of sports-deprived fans tuning in live, as it’s one of the only sports-related events yet to be canceled. The technology providers livestreaming the event need to deliver a seamless, synchronized and latency-free real-time viewing experience, or they will see a flood of complaints across social media.

The platforms that are able to deliver a topnotch experience will not only win over fans, but will also have a plethora of new opportunities to increase the bottom line.

Hurdles to Clear

The live streaming of sporting events is too often associated with latency and a lack of bandwidth to support large audiences due to inadequate tech solutions. Viewers who live-stream sports have come to expect to see a tweet about a touchdown before it actually plays out on their own screen.

During this year’s Super Bowl, fans streaming online experienced delays anywhere from 45 seconds to 55 seconds, leaving many viewers frustrated as big moments were spoiled. Now imagine how severe these delays can be when the NFL must integrate live video from all 32 team headquarters for the draft. If the streaming tech isn’t up to par and the stream is delayed, fans will miss the exact moment when their team’s pick is revealed and draftees will miss the exciting moment they have always waited for when their name is called by the commissioner.

Ahead of a sporting event that is an integral part of the NFL tradition and prides itself in creating major lifetime moments, it’s vital for streaming services to find this tech sweet spot and ensure they’re able to minimize delays and support an influx of online viewers simultaneously. Otherwise, the NFL will find itself with a massive group of frustrated sports fans.

There is an especially big opportunity this year for live-streaming providers to deliver more than just a real-time experience. Platforms must rethink what it means to “watch” sports in an environment where fans will be watching alone and integrate further opportunities for interactivity, which will drive engagement.

In order to improve the viewing experience and keep fans engaged for longer periods, providers should integrate interactive features and tools to reshape that experience — taking it from just one viewer sitting at home alone to others across the country in real time. This can be done through features such as live chats, in which fans can share their thoughts on a particular team’s draft pick, or live polls via social media to ask viewers to predict who the next player selected will be.

Integrating interactive features into realtime live streaming heightens the social aspect and makes watching much more enjoyable as viewers can share the moment with others remotely — call it the “social living room.” But this is only possible if streaming technology is delivered in real time and in sync so everyone can watch at the same time. If a viewer in New York is 15 seconds ahead of their friend in Kansas City, that could be all the time needed to spoil who the Giants will be taking during the first round.

Better Streaming, More Revenue

By 2024, it’s expected that 91 million consumers will use live video streaming, giving brands and advertisers a newer way to reach their audience as well as creating a massive opportunity for them to increase revenue through better streaming technology.

As more viewers cut the cord and move to streaming platforms to watch sporting events, the opportunities continue to grow for providers. Yet the increased revenue potential can only be achieved by consistently providing an ability to successfully deliver top-notch, interactive, real-time streaming experiences. The live stream of this year’s NFL draft, which is expected to garner a huge audience, is an opportune chance for providers to capitalize on this.

Brands must prioritize their streaming solutions to ensure they are not only latency-free, but also engaging and interactive viewing experiences for fans. Those able to do this will be able to increase their bottom line and move into the next threshold of sports entertainment.

Esquire Network has ordered a 10-episode docu-series chronicling the off-field action among four leading sports agents during the run-up to the 2015 National Football League draft. The Agent will premiere in July, the network said Tuesday (March 24).

The series aims to give viewers an insider's look at the business behind a sport that experienced a troubling 2014-15 season off and on the field. The production gained exclusive access to the four agents -- Jeff Guerriero, Peter Schaffer, Sunny Shah and Ed Wasielewski -- starting last summer, Esquire Network said, capturing contract negotiations, endorsement deals, recruiting, private clubs, training, and meetings with scouts and veteran NFL players, all in pursuit of securing the top draft pick.

Filming will continue at least through the NFL draft, which begins on April 30 and ends May 2.

With its mix of drama (the "ruthless pressure" of a "cutthroat world," as the network characterized it) and characters (who Esquire positions as "real-life Jerry Maguires"), The Agent appears to fit squarely into the network's gameplan to offer programming built around "a decidely masculine experience" but in a "tone of voice that's accessible to women," as Esquire Net president Adam Stotsky told Multichannel News last year.

While it aims to skew male, the network also wants to court women viewers watching with significant others as well as solo. "This is not the men's locker room," he said at the time. "Women are very welcome at the Esquire Network."

The Agent will join other character-focused football- and sports-themed series on the network, including Friday Night Tykes, The Short Game and Horseplayers.

The Agent is executive produced by Emmy winners Mark Herzog and Christopher G. Cowen of Herzog & Company/HCO (CNN's The Sixties) with Vincent DiPersio, also an Emmy-winning producer, and Josh Mamann. Nicole Zien from HCO is co-executive producer. Esquire Network did not reveal a specific premiere date.

No doubt buoyed by the saga of one "Johnny Football," ESPN’s live telecast of the first round of the NFL Draft scored with just under 10 million viewers, a network record with the collegiate selection event.

ESPN netted a 6.1 household rating and 9.94 million watchers on May 8 with its live presentation from New York’s Radio City Music Hall, according to Nielsen fast nationals data. That was the worldwide leader’s best ever opening night draft delivery in its 35 years of covering the NFL Draft.

The network notched a 49% jump from the 4.1 rating from the 2013 draft and a 60% audience surge from the 6.2 million a year ago.

For its part, NFL Network’s coverage averaged a 1.46 U.S. household rating and 2.4 million viewers – both records for the network. Those deliveries were up 54% and 60% from a 0.95 rating and 1.5 million viewers, respectively, in 2013.

Marking its 10th year of covering the NFL Draft, NFL Network has increased ratings and viewership each year, and was up 121% in ratings and 136% in viewership since 2010.

In total, some 32 million people watched at least one minute of the first-round coverage of the 2014 NFL Draft on ESPN and NFL Network, making it the most-viewed round one ever, according to Nielsen. The cume number surpassed the 29.9 million viewers who checked out some part of the selection process in 2009.

Thursday night’s ESPN telecast peaked at an 8.0 rating between 9:45-10 p.m. (ET), when the Dallas Cowboys were on the clock with the No. 16. Speculation by ESPN’s on-air talent and many others had America’s Team selecting Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M’s talented QB, whose small stature is overwhelmed by his outsized personality. Manziel was selected by Cleveland with pick No. 22.

Johnny Football’s freefall from the higher rungs of the draft ladder predicted by many pigskin prognosticators likely helped boost the networks' Nielsen tallies – as did the NFL’s decision to push the draft back from its usual late April slot on the calendar, which allowed for the hype machine to switch into full whirl for a couple of additional weeks

The top 10 metered markets for ESPN included Cleveland (13.0), Houston (11.6), Austin, TX (11.3), Greenville, SC (10.8), New Orleans (10.8), Buffalo (10.6), San Antonio (10.2), Columbus, OH (8.9), Greensboro, NC (8.8) and Philadelphia (8.7).

This Thursday, May 8 marks the 79th annual NFL Draft, which since its inception has gone from obscurity to a major media event. And, if there’s any doubt as to just how major it has become, look no further than its impact on ESPN’s ratings.

The NFL has surely figured out how to reach fall football fans in the spring! Since 2010, the league has moved its first round draft selections to primetime, generating a tremendous amount of fan interest and excitement. And we can see that in the ESPN ratings over the past four NFL Drafts (not to mention those watching on the NFL Network).

Our analysis isolated three Thursday nights of ESPN primetime viewing: the week before the draft; the night of the draft; and the week after the draft. The spike in ESPN ratings is dramatic to say the least. In 2013, the Thursday before the draft scored a 0.66 national household coverage rating in primetime (8pm-12pm) and the Thursday after the draft drew a 0.5 primetime household rating, while the 2013 draft night scored a 4.37 primetime rating! Our analysis of national Rentrak ratings over the past 4 years revealed this has been a consistent trend.

The lift in U.S. coverage ratings for the first round ranges from a “low” of +500% (in 2010) to a high of nearly 800% in 2011. The draft years of 2012 and 2013 weren’t too bad either: up 650% and 560%, respectively.

NFL Home Team Markets

Which NFL team has the most passionate, devoted fans?

Hmmm… maybe we just won’t go there.

But we can say for certain which NFL hometown TV markets seemingly cannot get enough of the NFL Draft. Over the past four “Day One” NFL Draft telecasts (2010 – 2013), Cleveland generated a remarkable 7.4 in-market primetime household rating – that’s well over double the total U.S. figure of 3.3! The next highest-rated market was Green Bay (6.5), followed by Jacksonville (6.0), Kansas City (5.5) and then New Orleans (5.4), based on four-year weighted averages.

The Ohio Players

One of the patterns we see in the data is very high indexing cities that cluster around an NFL home team market. For example, Green Bay Packers fans apparently can be found throughout their home state of Wisconsin, given very strong viewing within the television markets of La Crosse-Eau Claire (5.64 Rating / 171 Index) and Madison (5.61 Rating / 171 Index). The same can be said for Minnesota Vikings fans in the TV markets of Rochester, MN (5.53 Rating / 168 Index) and Mankato, MN (4.54 / 138 Index).

But when it comes to home market clusters, Ohio has just about everyone beat with five TV markets bracketed by the Cleveland Browns in the northeast by Lake Erie and the Cincinnati Bengals in the far southwest, where the Ohio River divides the Buckeye State from Kentucky. Each of these five markets score well above the total U.S. figure of 3.3 with Lima scoring a 5.32 primetime household rating, Columbus, a 5.28, Youngstown, a 5.13, Dayton. a 4.82. and a 4.71 for Toledo, based on four- year weighted averages from 2010 to 2013.

A Tale of Two Coasts

With the exception of Denver (4.03 primetime HH rating, based on four-year weighted average), all western NFL home team markets exhibit significantly lower than average NFL Draft Day ratings – Seattle (2.64), San Diego (2.55), San Francisco (2.49) and Phoenix (2.22). But that may not be a reflection of fan apathy. Aside from the fact that the West Coast tends to view less television in general, the real issue here may be ESPN’s live feed; the “primetime” draft telecast starts hours earlier on the west coast when HUT levels are much lower.

Western NFL home team markets may have a legitimate excuse, but what gives with Philadelphia (2.65 rating /80 Index) and New York (2.56 rating /78 Index)? Especially New York! Not only does the New York television market draw rabid fans from two NFL franchises (the Giants and the Jets), but the NFL Draft is held at the world famous Radio City Music Hall, smack-dab in the heart of New York City! Maybe some New York fans are showing up to literally watch it live, but that can’t fully explain the disparity in ratings. In stark contrast, some 300 miles to the northwest as the crow flies, the Buffalo Bills fans help to boost that market’s ratings far beyond their downstate rivals (4.57 Rating / 139 Index).

NFL Football Served Up Southern Style

To say the Southeast is a “hotbed” for football is almost an understatement, and perhaps no state is hotter than Alabama, home to the Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers. While no NFL team at present resides in the state of Alabama, these two Southeast Conference power houses see many of their players drafted into the NFL, including an astounding number (15) in the first round over the past four years.

Tuscaloosa is home to the University of Alabama, about 60 miles or so southwest of the Birmingham TV market (5.86 Rating /178 Index), while the town of Auburn, Alabama is home to the Tigers, just 54 miles northeast of the Montgomery TV market (5.52 Rating /168 Index). And in the northern reaches of Alabama, the city of Huntsville is also keen on the NFL Draft even though no main university campus resides there (4.73 /143 Index).

With the NFL moving its draft back a month, there has been that much more time for pundits to weigh in on the collegiate prospects.  It will be interesting to see if that will bring more football fans and viewers to ESPN’s coverage of the event.

Jonathan Sims is vice president of media research at Viamedia.

NFL Media will provide a record-high 51 hours of live coverage of the 2014 NFL Draft, which kicks off Thursday, May 8. 

NFL Network, NFL.com and NFL Mobile will each have extensive interviews, analysis and coverage of the event, which takes place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City over the course of the three-day selection process.

Coverage begins with the first round of the draft, starting on May 8 at 8 p.m. (ET). Round two and round three will be on the clock Friday, May 9, starting at 7 p.m.,with the final four rounds beginning Saturday, May 10 at noon. 

Leading up to the draft, the NFL Network will air 75 hours of live “Draft Week” coverage. The pre-draft coverage will conclude with a live red carpet event as the NFL Network’s Melissa Stark and The Insider host Kevin Frazier interview the 30 prospects as they arrive at the event. 

The network will also offer additional coverage via platforms such as NFL.com Live Presented by Courtyard, NFL Mobile from Verizon and the Draft Xtra portion of the NFL Mobile app.