Patriots Owner Robert Kraft said there is a "misconception" about NFL ratings and the league needs to do a "better job on our messaging." Kraft, who serves as NFL Broadcast Committee Chair, appeared on CNBC on Friday morning and noted Thursday was the "biggest news day" since the '16 election, as "everybody was absorbed" with the news around Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings. Kraft noted despite that obstacle, Fox' first "TNF" telecast saw ratings "up 8% last night." He also noted that in '07, 22 of the top 100 programs "were NFL games," and by '17, 72 were NFL games. Kraft: "The best news for the NBC family is for the seventh straight year, ‘Sunday Night Football’ was the No. 1 show on primetime TV. No other network has a record like that for a primetime show. ... General television, broadcast television ratings are down across the board, but the NFL is still pretty strong.” Meanwhile, Kraft was asked about the NFL’s international strategy, noting it is a "real challenge for us and one that we deem very important." Kraft: "We are trying to do a better job in terms of having our game be exposed worldwide. I think that what's happened with gaming, and fantasy helps us a lot in terms of making it a very interesting proposition as we try to educate people on our game. It's made for the gaming apps, whether you go against individuals or a group of friends or all the potential propositions. We're very excited what that means for the growth and development of this sport” (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 9/28).
