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SAN FRANCISCO — Don’t blame Scott Hanson for the addition of hated commercials to NFL RedZone.
During an interview here with Ryan Glasspiegel and Baker Machado of Front Office Sports, the popular host put the blame for the ad creep squarely on NFL Network.
“First and foremost, they didn’t consult me. Your boy Uncle Scott was not responsible for commercials. Not even a little bit. Not consulted. The business folks handle the business side of things,” Hanson told FOS here on Radio Row.
“I was told we were going with commercials,” Hanson said. “I said, ‘O.K., let’s handle this as best we can.’ What we ended up with, at the end of the season, was eight 15-second commercials that we spaced out about 45 minutes apart. So never two commercials back-to-back. And always in between plays.”
Since the addictive whiparound show debuted in 2009, Hanson had opened with the slogan: “Seven hours of commercial-free football starts now.” But the good old days came to an end when the NFL added commercials during the 2025 season—sparking outrage among millions of viewers. Hanson was forced to alter his slogan to: “Seven hours of RedZone football starts now.”
Give Hanson credit. He’s not trying to b.s. fans with the typical mealy-mouthed corporate excuses. The 54-year-old anchor understands fans are “upset” about ads potentially ruining the formerly commercial-free show. But he’s got some breaking news for viewers who still believe in the innocence of sports.
“The NFL is a for-profit business,” Hanson noted. “I don’t believe that horse is going back into the barn.”
To the relief of millions of fans, Hanson signed a long-term contract extension in May 2025 to continue hosting RedZone. As for how many ads become too many, he’ll leave that up to RedZone viewers and sales executives at NFLN to decide.
“Honestly, I understand the frustration for those who do have frustration,” Hanson said. “But as I said, I hope that people still try RedZone—and see if we don’t deliver what we promised back in 2009. Yes, there will be some 15-second advertisements that will pop in. People need to make their own determinations. But I’m still going to be there—and I’m still going to give you everything I’ve got. I hope people say, ‘You know what? Even if I don’t like it, I’m still going to hang with RedZone.’”
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