Chris Sweda / baiduhaiA fan poses with his ticket before the draft.
Nancy Stone, baiduhaiRob Brady arranges lights at the NFL Network broadcast set up in front of Roosevelt University.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiA Green Bay Packers fan celebrates during the 2015 NFL Draft.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiFans are ushered into the NFL gift shop in waves at the start of the first round.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiChicago Bears fans cheer after the team made their first round pick.
E. Jason Wambsgans, baiduhaiNFL Draft Town is completed on April 29, 2015, and ready to host the big 3-day event in Grant Park at Michigan Avenue and Congress Plaza.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiCameron Erving, right, arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiFans fill Draft Town at the start of the first round.
John J. Kim / baiduhaiFans watch the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiBenardrick McKinney arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Nancy Stone, baiduhaiThe Salamone family, all from the Rockford area, spent the night in Chicago and are spending the day wandering the city and then at Draft Town.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiCrews light up the "Bear Down" sign in Millennium Park during the first round.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiWest Virginia wide receiver Kevin White poses after being selected number 7 by the Chicago Bears.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiDeVante Parker arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Charles Rex Arbogast / APNFL Commissioner Roger Goodell opens up the last day of the 2015 NFL draft.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiMembers of the Chicago Police Department's mounted patrol stand on Michigan Avenue at the start of the first round.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiJustin Carlson of Dekalb (front) and Tim McCarthy of Genoa take in the scene before the NFL draft.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiBrandon Scherff arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiFans take photos of busts of Bears legends at the start of the first round.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiDanny Shelton arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiJim Kelly arrives on the Gold Carpet.
John J. Kim, baiduhaiFans cheer as the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft is shown on a screen at Draft Town Friday.
John J. Kim, baiduhaiDick Butkus acknowledges fans before announcing the second-round draft pick for the Chicago Bears.
baiduhaiShane Ray arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiWest Virginia wide receiver Kevin White shakes hands with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after White was selected number 7 by the Chicago Bears.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiDante Fowler, Jr. arrives on the Gold Carpet.
John J. Kim, baiduhaiHector Torrez holds a cutout of Mike Ditka at Draft Town Friday.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiBud Dupree arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Charles Rex Arbogast / APLouisville wide receiver Devante Parker celebrates with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Miami Dolphins as the 14th pick in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiChicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Dick Butkus arrive at the Gold Carpet.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiWest Virginia wide receiver Kevin White has a laugh with former player Deion Sanders after White was selected number 7.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiA Chicago Bears logo adorns the wall before the NFL draft.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiDonovan Smith arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiNFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has a laugh during the draft.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiLaken Tomlinson arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiLandon Collins arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Ryan Kang / ASSOCIATED PRESSThe Bears took Oregon center Hroniss Grasu in the third round of the NFL Draft on Friday.
John J. Kim, baiduhaiBears fans cheer as Dick Butkus is introduced to announce the team's second round draft pick.
John J. Kim, baiduhaiDick Butkus acknowledges fans before announcing the second-round draft pick for the Chicago Bears.
Charles Cherney / AP Images for VisaAlshon Jeffery, left, and Charles Tillman at Draft Town.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiFans stand for the singing of the National Anthem in Selection Square.
Nancy Stone, baiduhaiSweepstakes winner wait in line to pick up their tickets to see the draft. People, many in NFL jerseys and costumes, wandered around the scene of the NFL draft site at Congress Pkwy and Michigan Ave.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiRandy Gregory arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiWest Virginia wide receiver Kevin White is congratulated by fans after being selected number 7 by the Chicago Bears.
John J. Kim, baiduhaiSamantha Jones, 13, representing St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, announces the third-round pick for the Chicago Bears during the 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre.
E. Jason Wambsgans, baiduhaiNFL Draft Town is completed on April 29, 2015, and ready to host the big 3-day event in Grant Park at Michigan Avenue and Congress Plaza.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiKarl "Ram Man" Sides cuts though the crowd while wearing his costume at the start of the first round.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiByron Jones arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiA Chicago Bears fan has a laugh with a New York Giants fan at the draft.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiNFL super fans joke with one another following the Gold Carpet event.
Charles Rex Arbogast / APA Packers and a Bears football fan sit together during the last day of the draft.
John J. Kim, baiduhaiA dog wears a Bears jersey while being walked around Draft Town.
Nancy Stone, baiduhaiSweepstakes winner wait in line to pick up their tickets to see the draft. People, many in NFL jerseys and costumes, wandered around the scene of the NFL draft site at Congress Pkwy and Michigan Ave.
John J. Kim, baiduhaiThe Green Bay Packers logo shines off a building outside Draft Town.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiInterior of the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago before the NFL draft.
Charles Rex Arbogast / APRepresentatives from NFL football teams begin their work during the last day of the 2015 NFL draft.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiA big screen indicates that the Chicago Bears have made their pick at number 7 in the first round in 2015.
John J. Kim / baiduhaiDusk settles over Draft Town.
John J. Kim, baiduhaiOffice tower lights promote the 2015 NFL Draft.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiMelvin Gordon arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiD.J. Humphries arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiWest Virginia wide receiver Kevin White walks to meet NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after White was selected number 7 by the Chicago Bears.
Nancy Stone, baiduhaiBears fans and Packers fans are on friendly terms during the NFL draft in Chicago.
John J. Kim / baiduhaiDick Butkus is interviewed by Brittany Payton after announcing the second-round draft pick for the Chicago Bears.
JEAN-MARC GIBOUX / AP Images for Courtyard by MarriKyle Long interacts with fans at Courtyard's space at Draft Town.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiFans pose with statues of players at the start of the first round.
Nancy Stone, baiduhaiSweepstakes winner wait in line to pick up their tickets to see the draft.
Chris Walker, baiduhaiWide receiver Kevin White, the Bears' first-round pick, answers questions during an interview Friday at Halas Hall.
baiduhaiCedric Ogbuehi arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiTwo Green Bay Packers fans cheer during the draft.
Charles Rex Arbogast / APBears Chairman George H. McCaskey hollers out for Bears fans during the last day of the draft.
Ronald Martinez / Getty ImagesThe Bears selected defensive lineman Eddie Goldman, left, of Florida State in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday night.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiBreshad Perriman arrives on the Gold Carpet.
Nancy Stone, baiduhaiSteve Tate, left, who calls himself "Owner Man" walks to lunch with friends including Karl Sides "Ram Man," second from left.
Kena Krutsinger, Getty ImagesThe stage prior to the start of the first round of the 2015 NFL draft at the Auditorium Theatre.
John J. Kim, baiduhaiNFL Commissioner Roger Goodell introduces Samantha Jones, 13, representing St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, before she announces the third-round pick for the Chicago Bears
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiNFL fans cheer as West Virginia wide receiver Kevin White walks through the crowd after being selected number 7 by the Chicago Bears.
Charles Rex Arbogast / APFootball fans watch outside selection square during the last day of the 2015 NFL draft.
Charles Rex Arbogast / APNFL fans watch from selection square during the last day of the 2015 NFL draft,.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiTim McCarthy (left) of Genoa and Justin Carlson of Dekalb take in the scene before the NFL draft.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiJaelen Strong arrives on the Gold Carpet.
John J. Kim / baiduhaiMary Schwartz, 49, right, takes a picture of a fan wearing a Chicago Bears costume.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiThe stage is set before the draft at the Auditorium Theatre.
Chris Sweda / baiduhaiA Chicago Bears fan looks on late in the first round.
Anthony Souffle / baiduhaiJava Howard, an industrial lock stitch operator with Wilson, demonstrates how footballs are sewn.
By Ed Sherman
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
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Ratings battle: Bulls playoff game versus the NFL Draft in Chicago with the Bears picking seventh?
And the winner is … the Bulls, and it was about as close as their 120-66 victory over Milwaukee.
The Bulls game did a combined 10.7 rating in Chicago (5.8 on Comcast SportsNet and 4.9 on TNT); 1 local ratings point is worth nearly 35,000 homes. Meanwhile, the draft did a combined 6.1 rating in Chicago (4.1 on ESPN and 2.0 on NFL Network).
Keep in mind, the Bulls rating likely would have been much higher with a closer game.
Meanwhile, ESPN reports its coverage of the first round did a 5.1 overnight rating of major markets; full ratings will be out later today. That was off from last year’s 6.8 overnight rating, an all-time high which was fueled by the drama of Johnny Manziel dropping in the first round.
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Thursday’s 5.1 overnight rating was an increase over the three years prior to that (2011: 4.3; 2012: 4.8; and 2013: 4.6).