For years, NFL fans have waited on Sundays to hear the phrase: “Seven hours of commercial free football starts now.” Unfortunately, that is no longer how NFL RedZone will begin its broadcasts.
NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson joined The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday and revealed that RedZone will have commercials for the first time in 2025.
“I’ll just tell you right now, when you see me come on the air, we’re going to hit the octobox. We’ve got eight games in the early window, taking you around to all the different cities,” Scott Hanson said. “And then, when we get into it, ‘Ladies and gentleman, 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.”
Hanson made it clear that NFL RedZone will still show every touchdown and that the plan is to not cut away during important parts of games.
However, as the host, he also will not have a ton of say in when commercial breaks are taken.
“We had meetings all offseason. We had a rehearsal, we had our dress rehearsal in Week 3 of the preseason. And we are not going to sacrifice any great football for any of the business side of things,” he said. “The business folks are going to handle the business and we play the hand that’s dealt to us.
“But we will not miss a touchdown. We will not say, ‘Oh, Okay, this is first-and-goal from the 5 but let’s sell some pizza or pickup trucks.’ You pick and choose your spots, like anything.”
Needless to say, NFL fans are not thrilled with the news.
A fan replied to McAfee’s video on X announcing the commercials and said, “Espn always trying to ruin a great product smh.”
Another added, “We love you Scott, we know you have nothing to do with the greedy producers who are ruining the sports we love by having each week being streamed on a different streaming service.”
Several fans also said in the replies that they will not be getting NFL RedZone this season.
While there were threats made to boycott the popular program, Pat McAfee still expects the show to produce huge ratings.
“It’s an easy thing to kind of Tweet about and post about, but I don’t think anybody’s turning it off because of commercials, and the NFL knows that," McAfee said.
On its website, NFL RedZone says this about its product: “With NFL RedZone, host Scott Hanson kicks off your Sunday with 7 straight hours of live football, featuring up to 8 games at once within the octobox. NFL RedZone brings you every touchdown from every game, every Sunday afternoon during the regular season and acts as the perfect fantasy football companion."
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