Last week’s NFL Draft shattered attendance records and saw an increase in viewers for the highly anticipated first round.
More than 775,000 fans attended the three-day event in Detroit, smashing the 600,000 attendees in Nashville in 2019.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer broke the news to an energized crowd on Saturday.
“We have shown the world what the Motor City is all about,” she said on stage.
Television networks also chalked up a win over the weekend — the first round of the draft attracted 12.1 million average viewers, up 6% from last year. More people watched this year’s draft event than any individual game in the most recent NBA Finals, World Series or Stanley Cup Final.
The total audience was even higher. NFL and Nielsen officials said a total of 34 million people tuned in to at least part of the draft on Thursday night.
Viewership dropped in the second and third days of the draft. The event finished with 3% fewer viewers compared to 2023.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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