Several years ago, the NFL moved the draft to Thursday night in an effort to generate prime-time viewership. Starting this year, the NFL plans to take it the rest of the way, generating prime-time broadcast-network viewership.
Per multiple sources, the draft will be televised by FOX.
It’s believed FOX will carry a simulcast of the NFL Network feed, with ESPN continuing to televise the event on its own.
Last year, a separate source told PFT that the league already had the ability to place the draft on a broadcast network, hinting that it would be the next logical step in making the draft a bigger and better event. The league drew rave reviews for choosing Philadelphia as the destination, with more than 70,000 fans showing up for the first night.
This year, the draft will be held in Dallas, and the crowd surely will be even larger. The TV audience definitely will be; events carried on channels available through the public airwaves always do better than events televised on cable.