ESPN drew a 4.7 overnight Thursday for its coverage of the NFL Draft from 8:00-11:30pm ET, down 8% from a 5.1 overnight last year. This year's figure also is down 31% from a record-setting 6.8 overnight in '14, which drew considerable hype with Johnny Manziel's anticipated selection. ESPN drew a 4.6 overnight for the '13 Draft. ESPN's telecast on Thursday peaked at a 5.6 rating between 9:15-9:30pm. Cleveland-Akron led all local markets for the second straight year with a 13.3 rating, followed by Columbus (13.1), as five Ohio State players were selected in the first 20 picks. WatchESPN also delivered an average minute audience of 198,000, up 37% over last year. Meanwhile, NFL Network drew a 1.6 overnight for its coverage of the Draft, up 14% from a 1.4 for last year's telecast (Josh Carpenter, Assistant Editor).
ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET: In N.Y., Drew Loftis writes viewers watching the fanfare on the NFL Draft's red carpet "might actually become dumber." Loftis: "To be fair, all red carpets are stupid. The one before the Oscars, the one before the Grammys." They are nothing more "than look-at-me photo ops." Each is a "chance for those on parade to lure personal sponsorships." Adding a red carpet to the Draft "is like adding another hour to the NCAA selection show -- nobody needs it; few, if any, want it" (N.Y. POST, 4/29).
