Television commercial breaks are the curse of every NFL fan. They interrupt a game that is already full of stopping, bombard viewers with come-on and force fans and players in the stadium to be around two and a half minutes, sometimes in the ice cold.
Nevertheless, commercials are the lifeline of the NFL without them, broadcasters could not afford to pay the competition billions of dollars for rights, money that goes to the salaries of players and much more.
Most games have 18 commercial breaks. A few time-outs, such as at the end of the first and third quarter and the two-minute warnings have been established. The competition and networking avoid taking breaks such as the opening ride of a game team ends quickly, because they want fans to settle in the broadcast. If all goes well, the last commercials run on the two -minute warning in the fourth quarter.
However, most commercial breaks are chosen in real time as competition managers, network producers and officials on the field search for natural breaks in the action. Finding them is more art than science because each game unfolds differently, with long drives, three-and-outs, injury-outs and challenges of coaches.
“Our fans know that the commercial breaks are coming” score; If there happens to be an injury, hopefully a small one; Or an immediate repeat review when the referee goes to the sidelines. “
Their decisions will be seen on Sunday by more than 100 million viewers who view the Super Bowl and, hope advertisers, the commercials of 30 seconds, some of which cost more than $ 8 million. The advertisements are so valuable that Networks – FOX this year – add two extra breaks during the game, so that the total is brought to 20.
The competition, networks and officials on the field mention at least four commercial breaks per quarter, but they try to find a balance between taking too many breaks that interrupt the flow of the game and wait too long and run the risk of breaking in breaks Crush when the game taps down.
The logistics of determining when Television TimeOouts must be stuffed require a complicated telephone tree during a three -hour game. The referee, who checks when a game starts and stops and can ignore a request for a break, communicates with the rear judge, who is constantly in contact with two sidelines near the 20-Yard line. One of them wears a green hat and represents the competition. The others has on orange gloves and works for the network.
They speak with Mr. North and other League officials in the press box and producers in the production truck outside the stadium. Sometimes the decision to go to commercial is clear, such as after a score. At other times the competition and the network take a break after an injury or the challenge of a coach. The official wear of the orange gloves will put their arms over each other in an “X” to indicate that the network wants to break. The referee will then blow the whistle and stretch his arms to form a T, which means that the game is stopped for about 2 minutes and 20 seconds.
Sometimes the Green Hat officer keeps a sign up with “: 30” pressed to indicate that the network wants to take a time-out of 30 seconds, not a full break of 2:20. When it ends, the referee turns his arm three times above his head and the game clock starts again. If a team calls a time -out, but does not want to go to a commercial break, the official with the orange gloves will turn his arm in a circle above his head.
Some commercial time outs are based on inspirations. Early in the Playoff match match between the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles, the coach of the Rams, Sean Mcvay, challenged a call from an incomplete pass on third down. The officials ruled that the recipient had dropped the ball, but the repetitions were not decisive, so Mr. North and NBC went to commercial because they bet that the assessment would not be fast. When the break ended, the call was canceled and the rams's disasters continued. Mr. North felt good, they could seamlessly use a break.
“As a producer, one of your number 1 is responsibilities to create the best possible electricity for the viewer at home,” said Fred Gaudelli, an old producer of prime-time NFL games at ABC, ESPN and NBC. “I produced games for 35 years and I never did a game when all the commercials did not come in. They enter. So don't sweat on it. Let's do what is best for the viewer. “
A referee will restart the match once or twice a season during a break, forcing the network to cut away from the commercials. If networks are unable to play every commercial, they will make an advertiser later in the season. There is no such option with the Super Bowl, because it is the last competition of the year.
For decades, Named Netwerken Time -outs when they wanted. But since the end of the 1990s, the NFL has regulated their height, frequency and placement. The NFL-Standaardized Breaks with four commercials of 30 seconds and 10 seconds for networks to carry out promotions for other shows or for the announcers to discuss elements of the game.
In 2016, to tackle complaints from viewers – including Commissioner Roger Goodell, who closely monitors games – the competition undertook an extensive view of how commercial breaks influenced the experience of viewers and players and fans in the stadium.
It turned out that the need to cram in 20 or 22 breaks per game led to unnatural stop settlements. For example, after an extra point of routine commercial breaks, networks took networks, returned to the stadium for the kick -off and then returned to the commercial. If there was a few seconds left in the first quarter, the competition noted that it was not necessary to take a commercial in the change of possession because there is always a break at the end of the quarter.
So in 2017 the NFL cut one of the five in-game breaks that were taken every quarter, but increased the length of breaks to 2 minutes for 20 seconds.
“These changes are meant to give you more of what you want: a competitive game with fewer interruptions and distractions of the action,” Mr. Goodell wrote in a letter to fans in which the movements were explained.
Fewer breaks, it turned out, increased attention to commercials. Networks also introduced “double boxes” that show an advertisement on the one hand and a shot from the stadium to the other box. The competition tried to improve the flow of the game by, among other things, not breaking during late comebacks and game-winning drives and allowing referees to assess calls on a tablet in contrast to large screens on the sidelines.
When a full break feels too disturbing, networks can introduce an analyst to discuss a controversial call or a sidelines reporter to give updates about the injuries of a player.
“You still use a kind of natural downtime, so people never get up with” Why don't we play? “Said Hans Schroeder, the executive vice -president of media distribution in the competition. “That's great for people in the stadium and it's great for people looking at home.”
