Since its inception in 2009, NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson has always opened the show with “seven hours of commercial-free football” to kick off NFL Sundays. However, that will be changing beginning Week 1.
Hanson confirmed that for the first time, NFL RedZone will have commercials after being acquired by ESPN, along with NFL Network and other NFL media assets. The deal was worth billions and the NFL received a 10% equity stake in ESPN.
“The business folks handle the business and I have no say over what different elements could or could not be in the show,” Hanson said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday. “I’ll just tell you right now, when you see me come on the air here, we’re going to hit the octo-box, we’ve got eight games in the early window, taking you all around the different cities. And then when we get into it, ladies and gentlemen, it’s been more than 250 days since the first full day of NFL Sunday, but we are back and seven hours of RedZone football starts now.
“I realize that might be a slight change to some of you, but that’s what the catchphrase will be going forward.”
Scott Hanson confirms NFL RedZone will have commercials in some capacity this season — which is something he has no control over.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 3, 2025
The intro will be: “7 hours of RedZone Football start now.”
(via @PatMcAfeeShow)pic.twitter.com/qJHM8RmPb9
How Will Commercials Change the RedZone Experience?
It’s not yet known how NFL RedZone will incorporate commercials into its broadcast.
“It remains unclear how commercials will be incorporated into NFL RedZone this season,” reports The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov. “Questions remain about whether they will appear during live action, only in natural breaks such as halftime, or in a split-screen format alongside ongoing coverage (we saw that last year). But the product is changing.”
It remains unclear how commercials will be incorporated into NFL RedZone this season. Questions remain about whether they will appear during live action, only in natural breaks such as halftime, or in a split-screen format alongside ongoing coverage (we saw that last year).
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 3, 2025
But… https://t.co/GhEyatNG8G pic.twitter.com/Jvw63QkgZ6
For years, NFL RedZone has been commercial-free with Hanson kicking off every broadcast by telling fans to sit back and enjoy “seven hours of commercial-free football.” However, the show already faced this issue once before. In Week 15 last season, Hanson used his traditional line to start the broadcast, but commercials appeared hours later for the first time. He later issued an apology on social media, saying he felt “conflicted” going into the broadcast and admitting he made the wrong decision.
To our great fans… pic.twitter.com/vFcOhK4T0M
— Scott Hanson (@ScottHanson) December 21, 2024
The change comes as ESPN announced earlier this month that it is acquiring the rights to NFL RedZone, also taking on NFL Network and other NFL media assets. RedZone will be included in the direct-to-consumer streaming product that costs $29.99 per month.
Sportsnaut’s Matt Johnson contributed to this report.
