When it comes to NFL RedZone adding commercials to its broadcasts, Mike Florio has made it clear how he feels.
But in case you weren’t aware, the ProFootballTalk.com founder seemingly used his platform on NBC’s Football Night in America to amplify his message.
As the pregame show went to Florio for his weekly hit ahead of the matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night, he could be seen standing next to a list of headlines from his popular website. And at the top of the list was a story written by Michael David Smith titled “Commercials make NFL RedZone Channel worse,” which was published just before Florio went on air.
There will never be another Florio. We won’t even be able to recreate him in the aggregate. pic.twitter.com/SwvMinwf81
— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) September 8, 2025
Perhaps the timing of the story’s publication was coincidental, in which case it could still be considered a happy accident. Florio has never been shy to criticize the league or call out obvious examples of its greed, and the idea of taking a subtle (or not-so-subtle) jab ahead of the first Sunday Night Football matchup of the season seems like a move straight out of his playbook.
It’s also worth noting that the timing of his appearance came just after the end of RedZone’s broadcast, which featured four 15-second ads. But as Florio wrote in his initial story about the ads, this is likely only the start of an emerging trend.
“Despite the limited number of commercials, the presence of any ads opens the door for more,” he wrote. “Four perhaps becomes eight, Eight perhaps becomes more. And the consumer is the frog in the pot of water that is gradually getting hotter.”
Still, Florio is of the opinion that plenty of people will still purchase RedZone, although that doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t getting a worse product. And in his story on Sunday, Smith noted that despite claims to the contrary, there were times in which Sunday’s RedZone broadcast exclusively featured advertisements.
Ultimately, these ads aren’t going anywhere and as Florio noted, they’ll likely only increase. Still, that doesn’t make it any less funny to see the pregame show for one of the biggest matchups of Week 1 effectively thumbing its nose at the entire situation.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.