Briefly
NFL averages 13.2 m viewers on television, digital platforms
The first round of the NFL draft averaged 13.2 million viewers across television and digital platforms, according to the league and Nielsen.
It was the third-most watched first round on record, behind 2020’s audience of 15.5 million and last year’s 13.6 million.
The draft was televised on ESPN, NFL Network, ABC and ESPN Deportes as well as streaming on the ESPN app, Disney+, Hulu, NFL+ and YouTube.
The league also said there was record attendance of 805,000 in Pittsburgh across the three days of the draft, including a record 320,000 for Thursday’s first round.
Tailgating to be allowed for Foxborough games
Tailgating will be allowed prior to World Cup games in Gillette Stadium, after all.
The Boston World Cup host committee said Monday that FIFA reversed its initial stance that no tailgating would be allowed at any of the 104 matches during the tournament, to be played in the US, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19. Six group-stage matches will be played at the home of the NFL’s New England Patriots in Foxborough, south of Boston, plus a quarterfinal on July 9.
The committee said the shift conforms with local policies that allow tailgating “like any other event hosted at the stadium, as there are no venue restrictions or local public safety restrictions in place that would prohibit it.”
Those events include games hosted by the Patriots and Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution, and concerts.
Space will be severely reduced from what is normally available. There are about 20,000 parking spots available for Patriots games, but there will be only around 5,000 for public use during the World Cup.
The Metro Boston Transit Authority has set train prices at USD 80 round trip from Boston to Foxborough for tournament games, four times what it charges for NFL and MLS games. There also is an express bus option that will depart from various Boston-area locations, which will cost USD 95 round trip.
