BroBible
Fans who tuned into NFL RedZone spent more than 15 years devouring “seven hours of commercial-free football” when Sundays rolled around. However, we were treated to the end of an era when ads infiltrated the program for the first time last season, and there’s seemingly no turning back based on how things have been trending over the course of the current campaign.
In 2009, NFL Network rolled out a fairly revolutionary program in the form of NFL RedZone, which promised viewers the opportunity to see “every touchdown from every game” over the course of a marathon broadcast where host Scott Hanson provided constant updates concerning action around the league.
It was a game-changing development for people who wanted to keep tabs on their fantasy football team and could also get a reprieve from the ads that permeate standalone NFL games, as Hanson traditionally ushered in each installment by hyping up its “commercial-free” nature.
However, that went out the window when RedZone was interrupted by multiple spots during Week 15 last year, and it was pretty obvious the powers that be had no plans to turn back.
There were four ads totaling a minute when RedZone aired for the first time this season, but anyone who foolishly thought that was going to remain the case has been proven very wrong.
RedZone featured four 15-second ads during its Week 1 installment, and viewers have not been shy about voicing their displeasure as that number has slowly but surely crept up over the course of the season.
Sports Business Journal kept a close eye on RedZone on Sunday before publishing an article that chronicled the 16 different instances where a ad between 15 and 20 seconds appeared on the broadcast.
Those commercials added up to four minutes and forty seconds of static promotion (DraftKings also paid for a 30-second spot after the seven-hour show officially wrapped up), but the outlet notes brands including Allstate, Progressive, and Mercedes-Benz sponsored highlight segments that collectively accounted for another five-and-a-half minutes.
Again, this is not necessarily a shocking development, as it was pretty clear RedZone was going to slide down a slippery slope while grabbing as much cash as possible once the floodgates were opened. However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve some scrutiny.
The post Ads Are Predictably Devouring ‘NFL RedZone’ As The Number Of Commercials Continues To Balloon appeared first on BroBible.
