This season will mark the end of “NFL RedZone” being commercial-free.
Host Scott Hanson confirmed that the seven-hour show will feature commercials in some way when the 2025 season kicks off this weekend.
Hanson announced the news on Pat McAfee’s eponymous ESPN show on Wednesday after the ex-punter asked him to give a preview of what his intro would sound like on Sunday.
He preempted it by saying that “the business folks handle the business, and I have no say over different elements that could or could not be in the show.”
“When you see me come on the air,” he said, previewing his intro for Sunday. “We’re gonna hit the Octobox, we’ve got eight games in the early window, taking you around to all the different cities.
“And then 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.’”
Hanson did reiterate that while commercials are coming, they were “not going to sacrifice” any of the football for the “business side of things.
“RedZone,” which began in 2009, had tested out ads last season, but it led to viewer complaints. The reaction to the news Wednesday saw viewers angrily posting on social media.
“Wasn’t the whole point no commercials?” one person wrote on X.
“Don’t they understand that commercials make me not want to buy their product,” another person wrote.
“Unsubscribed from RedZone and refuse to get it until they drop the ads. Until then I can watch whatever is on the air near me or go to my favorite sports bar. Enough is enough,” a third user wrote.
One notable theme in some of the complaints was blaming Disney-owned sports network ESPN for the commercials.
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, however, also reported that ESPN has nothing to do with the decision for “RedZone” to run commercials.
ESPN and the NFL came to an agreement for the Worldwide Leader in Sports to acquire the NFL’s media outlets, which would include a license for ESPN to use the RedZone brand, but the deal would not take effect until after the 2025 NFL season.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
