(NewsNation) — “NFL RedZone” host Scott Hanson confirmed on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday that the popular NFL program will no longer be commercial-free, drawing criticism from football fans across the internet.
The show provides fans with live coverage of every touchdown and significant moment of the football games on Sunday afternoons during the NFL season.
Hanson has been the host of the show since 2009, and his standard phrase “Seven hours of commercial-free football starts now” will be replaced with “Seven hours of RedZone Football starts now,” Hanson confirmed to McAfee.
At the end of the 2024 NFL season, “RedZone” experimented with adding commercials, much to the dismay of its audience. Hanson had to issue an apology after he started a show with his classic “commercial-free” mantra.
The announcement comes less than a month after the NFL’s recent deal with ESPN was announced, where it purchased a 10% stake in the company. ESPN acquired NFL Network, RedZone Channel and NFL Fantasy in the exchange.
“NFL RedZone” returns this Sunday for its 17th season.