NFL Draft telecast latest example of ESPN’s live events’ ratings success

To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of televisionâ€™s death have been greatly exaggerated. Especially for major live events. Like the ones ESPN airs. In the past few months, many of ESPNâ€™s premier properties increased viewership from years past. The most recent example was the 2017 NFL Draft, ESPN's most watched since 2014. â€œCompelling, important live events â€“ like the top-shelf sports programming in our lineup â€“ draw viewers to the screen in real time; itâ€™s programming you donâ€™t watch later,â€ said ESPN Senior Vice President, Media & Fan Intelligence, Artie Bulgrin.Â â€œSports has become a bigger part of live TV viewing than ever before, and audience growth for these marquee events does not surprise me.â€ Revisit some recent examples of ESPN live event ratings successes in this gallery. NFL Draft: In the average minute, 6,924,000 viewers were watching Round 1 of the 2017 NFL Draft, up 7% from 2016. Both TV and streaming contributed to increases, as TV was up 6% and streaming was up 23%. NBA Playoffs: The total live audience for the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs was up 11% on ABC (to 5,542,000 viewers) and up 15% on ESPN (to 3,135,000), according to Nielsen. It was the most-watched first round on ABC since 2011 and the most-watched first round on ESPN since 2014. https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/858724697743253505 MLB Opening Day: The total live audience for the prime-time matchup of the World Series champion Chicago Cubs and the St.Louis Cardinals was 3,707,000 people in the average minute, up 26% from last year (N.Y. Mets vs. Kansas City). Including streaming, the game ranks as the most-viewed Opening Night game on record for the ESPN networks. https://twitter.com/Ben_ESPN/status/849031429937917952 Women's Final Four: The three-game Womenâ€™s Final Four averaged a total live audience of 2,754,000 viewers across TV and streaming, up 18% from a year ago. This was the most-watched Womenâ€™s Final Four since 2014. Menâ€™s College Basketball Championship Week: Total Live Audience (TV + Streaming) was up 19% over last year, with an average minute audience of 728,000. Also, the TV audience alone was up 18%. https://twitter.com/ESPNPR/status/836613171955789824 ESPN College Football: The three-game College Football Playoff on ESPN averaged a total live audience average of 22,230,000 viewers, up 9% from last season. ESPNâ€™s presentation of the New Yearâ€™s Six generated an average total live audience of 13,955,000 viewers per game, up 16% from a year earlier. ESPN/ABC NFL Wild Card: The total live audience for ESPNâ€™s NFL Playoff game telecast (also simulcast on ABC) was 25,632,000 viewers, up 5% from a year ago. It was the fourth most-watched Saturday afternoon NFL Wild Card game in the last 16 years. NBA on Christmas Day: The one NBA Christmas Day game without NFL competition, the noon ET game on ESPN, was up 16% from 2015 on TV (3.7 vs. 3.2 million viewers) and was the most-watched Christmas Day NBA game in that time slot since 2012. In addition, streaming was up 59%, making for a total live audience increase of 17%. https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/813270184496611328 World Baseball Classic: Hispanic household ratings for the WBC were up 33% from the last event (2013), a 1.6.Â Total audience across ESPN Deportes was up 59% from 2013 with an average minute audience of 103,613. https://twitter.com/ESPNPR/status/845374613139963904

Menâ€™s College Basketball Championship Week: Total Live Audience (TV + Streaming) was up 19% over last year, with an average minute audience of 728,000. Also, the TV audience alone was up 18%.

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