Change is coming to NFL RedZone. The league wants fans to know that it won't be quite as drastic as initially feared, following an appearance by Scott Hanson on The Pat McAfee Show in which the longtime host confirmed that "seven hours of commercial-free football" is no longer a reality.
For one, the NFL issued a reminder, via Sportico, that it has already been testing ads that run alongside its RedZone coverage, utilizing them last December. The broadcasts have also featured some other sponsorships and promotional materials.
As was the case when ads appeared last season, the league says that football will remain on screen, with brief commercials airing in a separate box, along with 10–15 seconds of commercial audio. The NFL also confirmed to Richard Deitsch of The Athletic that the change is unrelated to the league's pending transaction with ESPN, which includes the Worldwide Leader gaining distribution rights of RedZone.
For Hanson's part, he said that he doesn't expect the quality of the broadcast to diminish with the addition of ads, though he acknowledged that it is a change.
“We are not going to sacrifice any great football for any of the business things,” he told McAfee. “The business folks are going to handle the business, and we play the hand that’s dealt us. But we will not miss a touchdown. We will not say, ‘Oh O.K., this is first-and-goal from the five [yard line], but let’s, you know, sell some pizza or pickup trucks.’”
McAfee may not quite be on the money with his assertion that nobody "is upset about the commercials," but the league clearly mobilized quickly to reassure fans that the RedZone experience will not be that different, even if Hanson has to change his famous introductory catchphrase.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Clarifies Addition of Commercials to Beloved 'RedZone' Channel.
