As it turns out, we shouldn't have been all that surprised ESPN added commercials to the one program NFL fans held sacred. Such is the way of capitalism, especially when it pertains to sports media – advertising revenue is king. Add in the key factor that NFL now owns 10 percent of the Worldwide Leader, and everyone wins when the league's most-watched program features ads for the first time in its history. Seven hours of commercial-free football is a thing of the past, though still a worthwhile viewing experience for any NFL fan.
It doesn't take much to get the average football fan angry these days. While NFL RedZone will only feature a few minutes of commercials throughout the day, it's still more than they're used to. ESPN's Adam Schefter came to the rescue of his employer earlier this week, when he made it clear that NFL fans would be served 1-2 minutes of commercials in 15-second increments throughout the day. Thus, in seven hours of NFL action, it'll hardly be noticeable. As FanSided's Terrence Jordan wrote, no ads is better than having commercials to begin with, so fans won't be happy, but they'll have to swallow their pride on this one.
"Look, it's accurate to say that even having a tiny amount of commercials is objectively worse than having none. It's also keeping with the state of the world, where things just seem to be getting worse in most ways all the time. That's not to rationalize it, because if people do have their viewing experiences ruined by a couple of ads, nothing I say will change that. For now though, this shouldn't be such a huge deal," Jordan wrote.
NFL RedZone commercials could just be the beginning of ESPN's plan
As most sports fans recognize, ESPN is owned by Disney. Thus, it is in their best interest to make as much money as possible. Acquiring RedZone and adding commercials to the program will help in that goal, and we shouldn't be surprised if the number of ads increases next season and so-forth. ESPN and the NFL are testing the waters here – as the league itself often does – to see how much they can get away with before fans revolt. The answer to that question is a lot. Whether sports fans admit it or not, this country is addicted to football, specifically the NFL.
Roger Goodell and the league itself has overseen numerous PR disasters and made it out the other end unscathed. Adding advertisements to RedZone doesn't even rank when compared to controversies involving domestic violence, racism and terrible owners with no interest in improving their on-field product.
So, what could come next? Minus more commercials – which is a slippery slope, but also surely coming down the pipeline – why not give fans an option to opt into seven hours of commercial-free football they claim to want?
An NFL RedZone streaming option could be next for ESPN
As the government continues to do sports leagues a favor by getting rid of illegal streaming options (RIP Streameast), a natural pivot for the NFL would be to provide an option for fans to watch the original RedZone ad-free. Much like written content in the sports media sphere, subscriptions are a big deal to ESPN and Disney. That's why ESPN+ and Disney+ exist in the first place. You see where I'm doing with this, right?
Why not make a commercial-free version of NFL RedZone available on ESPN+ and Disney+ for select subscribers? If NFL fans claim to miss the original, ad-free program so much, ESPN can give them that option and essentially wash their hands of this so-called controversy forever.
Is paying extra money for a product that previously had been commercial-free ideal for NFL fans? No, not really – but it gives Goodell and the league an out courtesy of their new partner. By no means am I suggesting this plan is in the works, but much like other products in the sports realm (NBA League Pass, MLB TV, even NFL+), it's only a matter of time.