No one loves the NFL Draft more than Buffalo Bills fans. The proof is in the numbers.
According to a press release that you can view at TVByTheNumbers.com, 42 million people watched the 2011 NFL Draft. In terms of percentage of local households tuning into the draft, Buffalo led all local markets with a 4.79 rating, beating out New Orleans, Milwaukee, Cleveland (Akron), and Jacksonville for the top honor. The rating incorporates viewership between the two networks covering the event, ESPN (and ESPN2) and the NFL Network.
For 11 years, Bills fans frustrated by the team's league-leading streak of seasons without the playoffs have joked that the annual selection meeting is "Buffalo's post-season." The joke still works, but the ratings sort of back up that claim.
As a point of clarification, that 4.79 rating, loosely translated, means that 4.79 percent of households in the Buffalo market tuned into all or any part of the 2011 NFL Draft over its three-day duration.