NFL fans were up in arms last season when longtime NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson had to alter his famous catchphrase because of advertisements, and that change is unfortunately here to stay.
For years, one of the biggest draws of NFL RedZone had been that it featured several hours of whip-around coverage with no commercial interruptions. That changed late last season when the NFL began testing ads during the coverage. As many suspected, the new format has progressed beyond the “test” phase.
During a Wednesday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Hanson confirmed that he will begin NFL RedZone coverage in 2025 by telling fans “seven hours of RedZone football starts now” rather than “seven hours of commercial-free football.”
“The business folks handle the business, and I have no say over different elements that could or could not be in the show,” Hanson said sheepishly. “I’ll just tell you right now, when you see me come on the air here, we’re gonna hit the Octobox, we’ve got eight games in the early window, taking you around to all the different cities. When we get into it: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, it’s been more than 250 days since the first full NFL Sunday, but we are back, and seven hours of RedZone football starts now!’ … I realize that might be a slight change to some of you, but that’s what the catchphrase will be going forward.”
Give us a preview of what it's gonna sound like on Sunday @ScottHanson #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/fyRcAnoqlQ
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 3, 2025
What is worse is that the commercials will be actual commercials, not just overlay ads. NFL RedZone had gone out of its way for years to avoid commercials on the local networks it was covering, but they will now have full-blown ads of their own.
Fans were devastated by the NFL RedZone change last year, and the complaints will likely grow even louder in 2025.