There were lots of actual sports on TV Thursday. The NBA and NHL playoffs both held playoff games and 20 MLB teams were in action. But millions of sports fans opted to watch future NFL rookies pose for pictures with customized jerseys. (And see Roger Goodell get booed, even though he used Cowboys legends as human shields.)
For the first time, the first-round of the NFL Draft was broadcast on three networks. The abundance of coverage only meant more viewers. ESPN, Fox and NFL Network combined for an 8.3 cable rating, the highest mark since 2014. Last year, ESPN and the NFL Network combined for a 6.7.
Few events speak to the overwhelming popularity of the NFL more than the draft. The first-round has become a primetime spectacle that drives the news cycle in late April, even while the NBA playoffs are going on. The NFL is seeing a dip in viewers, but it still dwarfs almost everything else on TV. Last year, the league claimed 37 of the top 50 highest-rated shows.
This demand was also reflected earlier Thursday, when Amazon renewed its streaming agreement with the NFL for "Thursday Night Football" for the cool total of $65 million per year. Even though TNF is usually derided as the league's worst primetime package, Fox Sports forked over $3.3 billion in January to carry the games.
