Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- NFL RedZone is a premium show that traditionally offers an ad-free experience through the duration of Sunday’s slate of games.
- Subscribers were taken aback after a full commercial played during yesterday’s action.
- It’s unclear if NFL RedZone subscribers can expect more ads coming in the future.
Update: December 16, 2024 (3:14 PM ET): An NFL spokesperson has confirmed to Android Authority that the split-screen ad that appeared on RedZone on Sunday was part of a test. In an article from Sportico, a source with direct knowledge of the league’s plans says “Any permanent change would only be considered for the 2025 season, at the earliest.”
One of the biggest selling points of NFL RedZone is its ad-free experience. In fact, the show frequently boasts about this perk, with RedZone host Scott Hanson exclaiming, “Seven hours of commercial-free football starts now.” But it looks like the premium streaming option may have changed its tune in regard to advertisements.
If you’re unfamiliar with NFL RedZone, it is a premium show where football fans can watch up to eight games at once and catch every touchdown from every game on Sundays. It is available on a range of services including YouTube TV, Direct TV, Sling, Fubo TV, Hulu Plus Live TV, and more. On YouTube TV, in particular, you can get it as part of the Sports Plus add-on for $10.99 per month.
While subscribers can usually watch RedZone without having to worry about ads disrupting the experience, that changed during Week 15 of the NFL schedule. Although promising no commercials, fans were taken aback when a commercial started playing at one point during the broadcast. As you can imagine, this move had subscribers up in arms.
Elsewhere, on Reddit, subscribers shared their frustration as ads seem to continue to invade spaces where they’re not meant to be. One Reddit user states, “It is making me question if the $10 per month is worth it anymore now. Feels like they lied to us and are trying to see what they can get away with.” While another user expressed the following sentiment:
This is extremely frustrating. We have been sold on ad-free football for years and now they slyly take it away.
Don’t think this is just one commercial here or there – this is just the beginning of them testing how much they can push it. Maybe their goal is to push more people to Sunday Ticket?
If this continues to worsen I will strongly reconsider the sports package after this season.
It’s currently unclear what the NFL Network’s plans are for RedZone going forward. We were unable to contact the NFL Network for clarification. Android Authority has reached out to Google for comment on the situation.
