The NFL Draft last night was like a min-SuperBowl filled with the anticipation. Good news for NFL and ESPN as the NFL out scored the NBA in post season play. Highest-Rated Markets for ESPN’s Thursday night coverage of the NFL Draft (7:30-11:20 p.m.): Jacksonville – 10.9 and Oklahom City checked in at an 8.9. Many looking to see who was picked #1 and where would Tim Tebow find his next career move.
ESPN Wins the Night Among Key Male Demos, Adults 18-34 and Adults 18-49. ESPN’s live telecast of the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft – conducted for the first time in prime time – was the most-viewed first round ever in the network’s 31-year televising the event.
The ESPN telecast (7:30-11:20 p.m. ET) delivered a 5.3 household coverage rating and 7,290,000 viewers (based on fast nationals), according to Nielsen Media Research, 23% higher than last year’s first round (4.3). 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.
The telecast ranks as the fifth most-watched cable program of the year among households (5,273,000) and the eighth most-watched among viewers.
From 8-11 p.m. last night, ESPN averaged 7.7 million viewers, making it the second most-watched network of the night. ESPN won the night among all key male demos, adults 18-34 and adults 18-49. In addition, ESPN’s Draft telecast was the top program of the night among all key male demos.
Highest-Rated Markets for ESPN’s Thursday night coverage (7:30-11:20 p.m.):
Jacksonville – 10.9
New Orleans – 10.8
Austin, Texas – 9.7
Cleveland – 9.2
Oklahoma City – 8.6
2010 NFL Draft Continues
ESPN’s coverage continues with Rounds 2-3 tonight, Friday, April 23, at 6 p.m. on ESPN (switches to ESPN2 at 7 p.m. through the conclusion of Round 3). Day 3 will begin Saturday at 9 a.m. on ESPN with a one-hour SportsCenter Special: On the Clock followed by all seven hours (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.) of Rounds 4-7 on ESPN.
(source: ESPN)
