Drawing a record-setting 275,000 people into downtown Detroit, the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft also did very well for the network broadcasts. Viewership for Thursday night of draft weekend was way up in 2024.
Per the Associated Press, 12.1 million tuned into the various viewing platforms for the first round. That figure is up six percent from 2023 and was the highest since the 2021 draft. Back in 2021, quarterbacks also went 1-2-3 at the start of the selection process.
This year trumped that with four quarterbacks in the first eight selections and six overall in the first 12 picks. All the hype and intrigue around the quarterbacks hooked in viewers.
Alas, all the quarterback action and high-profile drama died down quickly in 2024. As a result, the great ratings on the first night wound up dipping significantly for the rest of the weekend. The total weekend viewership was down three percent from 2023, at 53.9 million non-repeat viewers.
The in-person attendance held strong over the entire weekend, thanks in part to nice weather in Detroit. Over 775,000 fans filed into the downtown draft area over the three days of the draft, breaking the previous record by almost 200,000 people.
