NFL DRAFT: THE PICK IS IN Scores with the #1 Roku Original Documentary Premiere

Roku announced that its original documentary feature “NFL Draft: The Pick Is In” scored big during its opening weekend on The Roku Channel, becoming the #1 Roku Original Documentary premiere*.

“NFL Draft: The Pick Is In” drew more new and returning users to The Roku Channel than any previous Roku Original documentary title.

The new and returning users that streamed the documentary also skewed younger and outperformed the average 18-44 age audience for The Roku Channel. “NFL Draft: The Pick Is In” followed four teams during the 2023 NFL DRAFT weekend: the Carolina Panthers, the Indianapolis Colts, the DALLAS Cowboys, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Created in partnership with Skydance Sports and NFL Films, “NFL Draft: The Pick Is In” pulled back the curtain and gave audiences the first-ever look into the high-pressure and high-stakes draft rooms where league teams must make choices that not only define their upcoming seasons, but also change the lives of future players forever.

In addition to celebrating the successful opening weekend for "NFL Draft: The Pick Is In,” Roku has also announced plans to team up with Skydance Sports and NFL FILMS for a forthcoming documentary feature about the 2024 NFL Draft, which will take place in Detroit, Michigan April 25–27, 2024.

The project will film throughout all three days of the 2024 NFL DRAFT Weekend and highlight the decision process of a new group of teams. The featured teams will be REVEALED at a later time.

Brian Tannenbaum, Head of Originals, Roku Media: “It’s incredible to see ‘NFL Draft: The Pick Is In’ resonate with our audiences in such a profound way. The strong momentum around ‘NFL Draft: The Pick Is In’ is a testament to the dynamic teamwork between the master storytelling from Skydance Sports and NFL FILMS and the reach power of the Roku platform. We can’t wait to partner together to once again bring viewers a unique, intimate, behind-the-scenes look into the world of the NFL Draft.”

Jon Weinbach, President, Skydance Sports: “The NFL DRAFT is an iconic American spectacle and such a fantastic setting for documentary creators. We’re enormously proud of the great team effort to create this film, are thrilled that it resonated with viewers, and look forward to creating more premium sports projects with our partners at NFL FILMS and Roku.”

Ross Ketover, Senior Executive, NFL Films: “The NFL DRAFT has become one of the biggest events on the sports calendar, and taking a peek behind the curtain of what goes on in those draft rooms is endlessly fascinating for football fans. All of us at NFL FILMS take great pride in bringing viewers to places they have never been before, and we couldn’t be more excited to do that alongside our new partners at Skydance Sports and on an incredible platform in Roku.”    

“NFL Draft: The Pick Is In” followed four teams during the 2023 NFL Draft: the Carolina Panthers, who selected Bryce Young with the first pick of the draft; the Indianapolis Colts, who chose fellow quarterback Anthony Richardson with the fourth pick of the first round; the DALLAS Cowboys, whose selection of running back Deuce Vaughn – THE SON of longtime team scout Chris Vaughn – in the sixth round became one of the draft’s most memorable moments; and the Jacksonville Jaguars, one of the league’s most active teams on the third and final day of a historically frenetic draft that featured the most trades of any in NFL history.

Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel is the home of free and premium entertainment on the Roku platform. In Q4 2022, The Roku Channel reached U.S. households with an estimated 100 million people.

The Roku Channel is a top-five channel on the Roku platform by active account reach and streaming hour engagement (Q2 2023). Today, The Roku Channel features a diverse lineup of more than 80,000 free movies and programs and more than 350 free live linear television channels in the U.S. It licenses and distributes content from more than 250 partners.

*#1 by reach, premiere weekend defined as Friday, August 25-Sunday, August 27, 2023.

About Roku

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About NFL Films

NFL Films is widely recognized as the most honored filmmaker in Sports and continues to produce innovative franchises and documentaries across multiple networks and platforms, including #1 rated Quarterback on Netflix, HARD KNOCKS on HBO, seven 30 FOR 30 films on ESPN, Peyton’s Places on ESPN+, and recent premium programming on Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, Paramount+, MGM+, Fox, NBC, CBS, and NFL Network.

With 136 Sports Emmy Awards to its credit, NFL FILMS remains a gold standard in premium sports content, providing an elevated and connected viewer experience with unprecedented access to the athlete story.