NFL RedZone Changes Have Nothing to Do With ESPN Deal

Critics erupted in fury after Scott Hanson confirmed during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show that NFL RedZone will include commercials this season.

As Hanson told McAfee: “We’re not going to sacrifice any great football for any of the business side of things. … We will not miss a touchdown.” 

But suspicions were only heightened when McAfee, who licenses his show to ESPN for $15 million a year, casually opined, “I don’t think anybody is upset about the commercials.” (By Thursday, he had apologized.)

Anger over ESPN’s alleged plans for NFL Network’s beloved whip-around channel was the top trending topic on X/Twitter on Wednesday. There were calls to boycott or cancel RedZone, with one Twitter critic hissing: “Nice work ESPN & Disney. Don’t charge for RedZone if you’re putting commercials back in.”

Even politicians wanted a piece of ESPN. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted blasting the network, the NFL, and President Donald Trump for good measure: “More commercials, less football. Trump’s America. @NFL and @espn: You have time to fix this!” 

Here’s the problem with the narrative of “ESPN inflicting commercials” on RedZone: It has no basis in reality. 

ESPN doesn’t own RedZone and has zero to do with whether it will air commercials this season. Under the NFL’s blockbuster deal to swap NFL Network and other key media properties in exchange for a 10% stake in ESPN, the league will still own and operate RedZone. ESPN will simply get distribution and trademark rights to the RedZone brand. 

Front Office Sports editor-in-chief Dan Roberts noted the NFL-ESPN deal is still months away from approval by regulatory authorities. So anything that does or doesn’t happen with RedZone is up to the league. Not to mention, NFLN already experimented with RedZone ads last season, prompting Hanson to alter his signature “seven hours of commercial-free football” tagline.

“Lotta apparent confusion on this after misleading viral tweet accusing McAfee of stumping for Disney (LOL),” tweeted Roberts. “Disney did not *acquire* RedZone. Got distribution rights and rights to RZ brand. NFL will still own and produce RedZone. And deal hasn’t closed.”

The commercials are also very limited. Only four 15-second spots will air over the seven hours of RedZone in Week 1, and they will be part of a split-screen alongside game coverage, a source told FOS.  

But hey, why let the facts get in the way of a good story? 

ESPN has certainly annoyed sports fans over the years, whether it was breaking up the popular NBA announce team of Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, and Mike Breen or airing LeBron James’s free-agency special, “The Decision.” But ESPN is innocent on this one.

For whatever reason, many critics believe ESPN wants to instantly make changes to whatever properties they lay their hands on, noted president of content Burke Magnus, during a preview of the new direct-to-consumer platform in New York City. The reality is different. 

ESPN has taken a strictly hands-off attitude with McAfee’s show, noted Magnus. And no, it won’t tinker with Charles Barkley’s Inside the NBA, either, when TNT Sports licenses the show to ESPN in exchange for a package of Big 12 college football and basketball games. The reason why ESPN wants the iconic studio show is its cast and chemistry, he added. Why would it change it?

“Our track record is quite the opposite. Look at McAfee,” Magnus told me. “I’m not sure where this whole notion came from. Today’s world is a lot different—because we’re licensing stuff.”