Live from NFL Draft 2025: Inside the massive broadcast operation
ESPN’s main NFL Draft set is located off the right hand side of the stage inside the main theatre.
The NFL Draft has grown into a major broadcast event, with viewership increasing year-on-year and coverage of the first round of last year’s event seen by an average audience of 12.1 million across ESPN, NFL Network, ABC, ESPN Deportes and digital channels.
The 2025 Draft, in which players from college teams will be recruited by the 32 NFL teams, will take place across seven rounds on Thursday 24, Friday 25 and Saturday 26 at Green Bay, Wisconsin.
ESPN and Disney are delivering 14 hours of live coverage across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2, and digital platforms, with distinct approaches—ESPN focusing on analysis, and ABC highlighting personal stories.
In Germany, NITRO and RTL+ will broadcast all rounds of the event with on-site, German-language presentation as well as studio-based shows with RTL hosting 32 fan representatives at its Cologne broadcast centre on the first draft day for a round of group debates. In the UK, Sky will air all of the rounds live while DAZN, via its NFL Games Pass, will air the full US broadcast.
Read more:
Live From the NFL Draft: NFL Media Splits Sprawling Production Between Green Bay and L.A.
Reporting by Jason Dachman, Brandon Costa, Kristian Hernandez
With over 250,000 fans expected in Green Bay, ESPN has built the entire production infrastructure from scratch, transforming Lambeau’s surroundings into a world-class broadcast site.
Capturing the action will be three virtual jibs will float above the crowd, adding dynamic movement to crowd reactions and pick announcements. Drone shots, positioned at the opposite end of the stadium from the crowd, offer sweeping aerial visuals. Hard cameras atop Lambeau’s roof will deliver top-down angles rarely seen in traditional football coverage. And thanks to the NFL’s partnership with LiveU, coverage includes 23 virtual prospect feeds and 32 team cameras to follow each pick as it happens.
One of the most versatile tools in this production is Supracam—a 1,700-foot line camera that runs through and around Lambeau. “It’s like the marquee shot at the Rose Bowl,” says Tommy Mitchell, Senior Operations Manager at ESPN. “In the past, that camera has been primary for crowd shots. Now, it’s really going to help us a lot as an establishing shot, too.”
Meanwhile, NFL Media is delivering over 50 hours of live content across NFL Network, NFL Films, NFL.com, NFL+, NFL RedZone, and more, combining onsite coverage in Green Bay with programming from its Los Angeles hub at NFL West.
NFL Media’s production integrates 80+ feeds, including 23 remote prospect cameras, 32 team Draft Rooms, and 17 Draft Party feeds, with coordination between NEP trucks, LiveU systems, ESPN/ABC, and Van Wagner to power the complex, multi-location broadcast.
In addition, Van Wagner is transforming the area outside Lambeau Field into a high-tech NFL Draft venue with 18 LED video displays and roaming RF cameras, all designed to engage the large in-person crowd and provide a dynamic, immersive experience.
Nearly 120 video feeds—including 32 team Draft Rooms, 25 at-home prospects, and multiple watch parties—are integrated and distributed through Game Creek Video’s Prime One truck, with Van Wagner acting as a central hub sharing feeds with ESPN, NFL Network, and others.
Ross Video is powering the show’s graphics and LED content with new tech, including the debut of its M9 XPression Tessera Chassis, offering double the output density for improved efficiency and visual quality across the entire Draft campus.