While NFL RedZone initially downplayed the amount of commercials its broadcasts would include, many figured it was only a matter of time until its number of ads would grow.
Lo and behold, that’s exactly how it appears to have played out, with Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith noting an increase in advertisements during Sunday’s Week 7 RedZone broadcast.
“Commercials were noticeably more frequent on today’s RedZone Channel, as the NFL has taken a product that fans could once turn on and enjoy nothing but football all day Sunday and turned it into a product that is riddled with commercial interruptions,” Smith wrote.
Smith was hardly the only person to notice an increase in the amount of commercials that were a part of Sunday’s broadcast. Although RedZone initially touted only having four 15-second commercials when it opted to add commercials on a full-time basis at the start of this season, some on social media claimed to have seen no fewer than 10 ads during Sunday’s broadcast.
Remember when NFL RedZone had 2 commercials and they said that’d be it… and people believed it? I’ve seen at least 10 commercials today.
— John Lindgren (@John_Lindgren) October 19, 2025
NFL redzone went from 2 commercials the first week to at least 8 or 9 today #nooticing
— 2-3 (@watsonwillwin) October 19, 2025
WAYYYY TOO MANY COMMERCIALS!!! #redzone
— Jeff (@jeffjeff360) October 19, 2025
While many of the spots have been non-invasive — such as wrap-around banners or split screen commercials — the presence of any ads runs counter to the reputation that RedZone has built since its inception in 2009. In fact, host Scott Hanson has even had to adjust his trademark introduction, as he can no longer accurately promise “seven hours of commercial-free football.”
After initially running ads on a trial basis during the 2024 season, RedZone opted to make them permanent this year and it’s hard to imagine that changing once ESPN takes over the operation as early as 2026. But while the presence of such ads may have always been inevitable, that doesn’t make it any less of an annoyance to its paying viewers.
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.