The drama experienced by then Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders last week was a big media blow for the NFL and also ended with a happy ending, as Deion Sanders’ son managed to be drafted and will fight for a place in the starting lineup of his new team, the Cleveland Browns.
While the NFL reported that the circumstances in which he was drafted led to record ratings for the third and final day of the Draft with 7.5 million viewers per day, it was the second most-watched draft in history.
In addition, Saturday’s broadcast, which included rounds four through seven (Sanders was selected in the fifth round), averaged 4.3 million viewers on ESPN, ABC, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes and digital channels. This was a 43% increase over 2024.
In terms of total viewership, the increase was 27% over last year and the cumulative viewership for the three days of the event is second only to the 2020 Draft.
The 2025 Draft Audiences
The rating reported for the first round on Thursday was 13.6 million viewers across all channels, 11% more than in 2022 as the second most-watched day one in history. Friday’s rounds two and three averaged 7.5 million viewers, up 48%, while Saturday’s rounds four through seven averaged 4.3 million viewers, up 43%.
The NFL said total attendance in Green Bay was 600,000 people, more than double the expected estimates.
Green Bay could not match the announced attendance record of more than 775,000 that occurred last year in Detroit, but it did match the second-highest figure since the NFL moved the draft out of New York in 2015. The 2019 draft in Nashville, Tennessee, also had a reported total attendance of 600,000.
With information from LAPRESSE
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