Only one TV market posted a higher rating than Atlanta for the second night of the NFL draft.
The coverage across ABC, ESPN and NFL Network drew a combined 8.8 rating in the Atlanta market Friday, topped only by a 9.5 rating in Cleveland, according to figures provided Saturday by the NFL. The rating is the percentage of households that tuned in on average.
Nationally, an average audience of more than 8.2 million viewers watched Friday’s coverage of the second and third rounds. The NFL said that marked the largest Day 2 audience in the history of the draft and a 40% increase from last year.
As previously reported, the first round of the draft Thursday night drew an average audience of more than 15.6 million viewers across the country, easily topping the previous record of 12.4 million in 2014. The first round posted a 14.0 rating in Atlanta, the seventh-highest among the nation's 56 metered markets.
Record audiences were expected for this year’s draft because of the lack of competition on TV from other live sports events with both the NBA and MLB seasons shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. Fascination about the NFL’s first virtual draft also may be attracting viewers.
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