(AP) — NFL RedZone will no longer have seven hours of commercial-free football.
The channel will still have seven hours of NFL action from the early- and late-afternoon Sunday windows, beginning at 1 p.m. EDT, but there will be ads airing regularly for the first time this season.
“I hope everyone watches and they’ll still have the same RedZone feels that they’ve had for 16 years,” host Scott Hanson said Thursday night in a phone interview.
The addition of ads, though, is not expected to impact the show since some of the ads could occur when all of the games are on a commercial break or most have gone to halftime. The format also ensures that game action will continue to be shown alongside the ad.
Viewers are not expected to miss any live touchdowns or critical moments due to a commercial.
“There is no one on the planet who wants to show people more football than I do. The business people handle the business side of things. We’re ready to go for Sunday, and I can’t wait for season 17 of NFL RedZone,” Hanson said.
How many ads will air on RedZone?
The NFL expects to have a total of one minute of ads — or four 15-second increments — on Sunday. It could expand to two minutes — eight 15-second increments — sometime during the season. That means ads will take up anywhere from 0.25% - 0.5% of the total time that RedZone is on the air.
How will the ads air?
They will be in a “double box” format, meaning the ad will take up one portion of the screen while game action will be in the other.
The NFL has allowed the same format to be used during short commercial breaks of games when there is a brief timeout. Auto racing and golf have also been extensive users of “double box” formats on their broadcasts in order to not miss a possible accident or a key shot.
The only thing viewers won't get is the audio from the game on the screen since they will be hearing the ads.
Who thought this was a good idea?
The “double box” format was tested last year in a limited capacity. The NFL also had focus groups and monitored social media feeds to see what fans were saying.
According to the league, the testing had an extremely limited negative feedback.
Is this the result of ESPN buying NFL Network?
No. Even though RedZone will eventually be part of the ESPN app, the channel will still be owned and operated by NFL Media.
When did RedZone start?
The NFL launched RedZone in 2009. Hanson has been the host from the start. DirecTV had its own Red Zone Channel hosted by Andrew Siciliano as part of the Sunday Ticket package from 2005 through ‘22. YouTube TV began airing the NFL’s RedZone Channel when it took over Sunday Ticket in 2023.
RedZone is available in more than 50 million homes through TV, satellite and streaming providers.
