ESPN's live telecast of the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 25, averaged 6,199,000 viewers with a 4.1 US rating based on fast nationals, according to the Nielsen Company.
The rating and viewership was slightly down, seven percent (vs. 4.4 US rating and 6,661,000 viewers), compared to last year's much ballyhooed NFL Draft, which had four eventual starting quarterbacks - Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Ryan Tannehill and Brandon Weeden - selected in the first round. Compared to the 2011 NFL Draft, the first round rating was up eight percent (vs. 3.8 US rating), while viewership saw a three percent gain (6,003,000). This year's telecast ranks as the third-most viewed NFL Draft since the event moved to prime time in 2010.Last night's ESPN telecast peaked at a 4.5 rating between 10:00 and 10:30 p.m. ET. The top 10 metered markets included Buffalo, N.Y. (10.3), New Orleans (8.8), Kansas City (8.4), Baltimore (7.6), Birmingham (7.6), Dayton, Ohio (7.4), Milwaukee (7.2), Cincinnati (6.8), Cleveland (6.6) and Minneapolis-St. Paul (6.5).Videos