An average of almost 200,000 households in the Atlanta TV market – and a peak of almost 250,000 – watched the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night.
The round drew an 8.2 Nielsen rating in the Atlanta market, meaning 8.2 percent of the homes – or about 198,000 homes — watched on average. That included a 5.9 rating on ESPN and a 2.3 rating on NFL Network.
The peak Atlanta audience for the draft came between 9:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. on Thursday. During those 15 minutes, the local rating was 10.3, including 7.8 on ESPN and 2.5 on NFL Network, for an Atlanta audience of about 248,000 homes.
Nationally, ESPN said the opening round averaged a 4.0 rating on that network.
Cleveland was the highest-rated market for first-round coverage on ESPN for the fourth consecutive year, averaging a 12.6, according to the network. ESPN said the next highest-rated markets for Round 1 on ESPN were: draft host city Philadelphia at 9.1; Columbus, Ohio, at 9.0; Greenville, S.C., at 8.7; Birmingham, Ala., at 7.6; Dayton, Ohio, at 7.6; Charlotte at 6.9; New Orleans at 6.9; Buffalo at 6.8; and Norfolk, Va., at 6.6.
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![Safety Malaki Starks, center, the Baltimore Ravens' first round draft pick, 27th overall, third from left, poses for a photo with his father, Larry Starks, fiancée Savanna Jackson and his mother, Martisha Starks, during an NFL football press conference at the Under Armor Performance Center in Owings Mills, Md., Friday, April 25, 2025. (]Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)](https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/BX5II7BXMIG6IJQPLIUGAR253A.jpg?auth=79b1d999d02686f9494a2c95e5214620fdcb39cb0a0526e93153457127d5566b&width=600&height=400&smart=true)
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