NFL DRAFT TO START ON THURSDAY NIGHT
Friday, July 24th, 2009 -- 6:00 AM
The NFL is making its already popular draft even more television-friendly, moving the first round to Thursday night. Next year's draft will switch from a two-day, weekend format to a three-day event with the opening round in prime time for the first time. The NFL said Thursday that the first round will begin at 7:30 p.m. EDT on April 22. The second and third rounds will start at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, with the last four rounds beginning Saturday morning. The draft will continue to be televised by ESPN and NFL Network and held at Radio City Music Hall. A total of 39 million viewers watched the draft this year. The NFL said the first round lasted just under 3? hours in 2009, whichwould fit in neatly into a prime-time slot.
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