Dive Brief:

• NBCUniversal will air a commercial-free fourth quarter during an upcoming NFL broadcast, the first ever for the pro football league and a piece of the network’s budding experiments with its Peacock streaming service, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
• Instead of conventional ad breaks, the final stretch of the game between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday (Dec. 23) will focus on just three sponsors: Capital One, Hyundai and Walmart. An announcement at the top of the quarter will acknowledge the brands for enabling the commercial-free experience, which is part of Peacock’s first exclusive NFL game.  
• The participating sponsors are taking advantage of different formats, including content takeovers and integrations into updates from the “Football Night in America” studio. NBCUniversal said the change will reduce the broadcast’s ad load by 40%, opening 12 minutes of additional game-related content.

Dive Insight:

NBCUniversal is looking to deliver a commercial-free closeout to its Peacock Holiday Exclusive game, albeit one that won’t be entirely brand-free. Rather than running a slate of ads in dedicated breaks as usual, the broadcast’s fourth quarter will showcase a smaller selection of sponsors in ways that go beyond the typical 30-second spot. The strategy could appeal to younger fans who have cut the cord on linear TV and prefer streaming channels to stay up to date with sports.

“The power of live sports is more prevalent than ever, and at NBCUniversal, we not only have the scale of our broadcast platform, but we now can reach an entirely new audience through Peacock,” said Mark Marshall, chairman of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, in a press statement. “With this one-of-a-kind sponsorship environment attached to our first-ever exclusive Peacock NFL game, we are able to connect an untapped set of consumers to our marketers, and we couldn’t be more grateful to our partners at the NFL for trusting us to creatively launch this groundbreaking format."

While the commercial-free test is limited, it could herald bigger shifts as more live sports make the jump to streaming. The approach could also be a less taxing way to reach viewers who are accustomed to seeing games constantly broken up by repetitive brand messages. Pro football is particularly egregious when contrasting the length of broadcasts versus how much time is actually spent watching the on-field action. 

Those tuning into Saturday’s game will be made aware of the changes at the top of the fourth quarter through a branded announcement. Capital One, Hyundai and Walmart will then crop up in content takeovers and as part of other game features, including updates and analysis. 

Walmart in the lead-up to the second quarter is additionally sponsoring NBCUniversal’s first shoppable integration attached to the NFL with a placement that will feature a QR code linking out to the big-box store’s holiday hub. The retailer also teamed with NBCUniversal’s Creative Partnerships on a custom spot with “Football Night in America” analysts Chris Simms and Devin McCourty sharing last-minute gifting ideas.

The commercial-free experience could set the stage for future Peacock broadcasts. The platform, an increasingly key part of NBCUniversal’s strategy, will air the NFL’s first playoff game exclusive to streaming in January.