The numbers are in for the first round of the 2023 NFL Player Selection Meeting, a.k.a, the NFL Draft and they are good. Round 1 which aired Thursday night on ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and NFL Network had a combined viewership of 11.4 million viewers on both television and streaming platforms.
The NFL is quick to note from its own press release that it’s up double digits from last year’s 1st Round:
Round 1 coverage of the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City was seen by an average audience of 11.4 million viewers (TV+Digital) last night across ESPN, NFL Network, ABC, ESPN Deportes and digital channels – up +11% vs. Round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft (10.3 million).
Going inside the numbers, Sports Business Journal’s Austin Karp points out that while it’s up from last year, it’s still down from the event’s peak viewership in 2020 which has to be considered an aberration due to COVID. Karp’s numbers do not include ESPN Deportes nor the streaming platforms.
Looking like the first round of the @NFLDraft was up around 13% compared to 2022 across @ABC, @espn, @nflnetwork.
11.29 million viewers vs. just over 10 million in 2022
Lower than 12.52 million in 2021, and 15.27 million from Roger Goodell's basement during the pandemic in 2020
— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) April 28, 2023
From the SBJ Unpacks newsletter, Karp notes that ABC had an average viewership of 4.1 million on Thursday which was an increase of eight percent from 2022. ESPN’s Thursday night numbers saw a significant jump of 26% for its 5.6 million viewership as compared to 4.6 million from 2022. And NFL Network actually had a 12% decrease in viewers for its coverage as its numbers fell to 1.6 million. Karp says that’s the lowest for the league-owned network since 2013 when it had a average audience of 1.5 million.
When you combine the three networks together, the NFL Draft was the most-watched event of the night on both broadcast and cable. The second most-viewed primetime program on Thursday was CBS’s “Young Sheldon” which garnered an audience of 7.2 million viewers.
Overall, the NFL has to be pleased for the increased viewership for Thursday night and hopes the momentum continues through the entire three-day event.
[NFL Communications/Austin Karp Twitter]
About Ken Fang
Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.
He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.
Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.