A juror has told US media that two holdouts in comedian Bill Cosby's sexual assault trial refused to convict the 78-year old.

After 52 hours of tense deliberations, the juror, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told ABC News that 10 of the 12 jurors agreed that Cosby was guilty on the first and third felony counts.

Only one of the jurors thought he was guilty on the second count.

According to the source, the two holdouts were "not moving, no matter what".

 

Jurors initially voted overwhelmingly to acquit Cosby on all three counts of aggravated indecent assault, the juror said.

Andrea Constand testified that Cosby drugged and molested her at the actor's suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.

Cosby said the encounter with the former director of women's basketball operations at his alma mater, Temple University, was consensual.

ABC published the interview with the juror after Judge Steven O'Neill ordered the public release of the jurors' names, granting a request by a dozen media organisations.

O'Neill warned jurors not to divulge what fellow jurors said during deliberations.

The juror who spoke to ABC said emotions were high as deliberations wore on in a cramped back room.

"People would just start crying out of nowhere, we wouldn't even be talking about (the case) — and people would just start crying," the juror said, adding that one fellow juror punched a concrete wall in the jury room.