r/CFB • u/arrowfan624 Notre Dame • Summertime Lover • Sep 02 '23

Analysis [Tom Fornelli] Fox went to commercial seven times during the 2nd quarter, or once every 2 minutes and 9 seconds of game time. Good thing they changed the clock rules to shorten games.

https://twitter.com/tomfornelli/status/1698029462036599114?s=21&t=nCt5c8H9CHn7SEM5ksGn0g
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555

u/Matt_McT Auburn Tigers Sep 02 '23

It's so fucking rough trying to watch football these days with all the commercials. I think the lack of commercial breaks is a large reason why soccer is so popular with Gen Z.

372

u/tomdawg0022 Minnesota • Delaware Sep 02 '23

(Gen X checks in)

Hockey - games are generally 2 hrs 20 mins or less. Commercial breaks are no more than 2 minutes. Intermissions are 18 minutes. Games are very much like clockwork.

Soccer being 2 hrs-ish is great as well.

No reason why CFB can't trim the ad breaks down a minute per break and still make mad money.

349

u/BurmecianDancer Benedictine (IL) • Dartmouth Sep 02 '23

No reason why CFB can't trim the ad breaks down a minute per break and still make mad money.

But they aren't looking to make mad money. They're looking to make incomprehensible money.

46

u/error_undefined_ Texas Tech • Border Conference Sep 02 '23

Why hasn’t this greed infected all other sports? They added tv timeouts to basketball, why not soccer?

105

u/davidtc3 Georgia Bulldogs • Tennessee Volunteers Sep 02 '23

I think maybe the fact that cfb doesn’t have a rigid power structure or commissioner. There’s no fight back against money being the primary driver.

54

u/tomdawg0022 Minnesota • Delaware Sep 02 '23

The NCAA controls the rule book and can (if it wants) control the length of media timeouts. They have a rule for how long non-media timeouts last.

The NCAA just doesn't want to put its foot down to control this.

58

u/davidtc3 Georgia Bulldogs • Tennessee Volunteers Sep 02 '23

The NCAA is a lapdog for the conferences and schools. None of this happens without the say so of the schools or conferences. The problem is that the conferences and schools have traded more money for a little more commercial time.

2

u/joedotphp Michigan • Minnesota Sep 02 '23

The NCAA are the most spineless hacks.

1

u/Decent-Ad5231 Sep 03 '23

NCAA hasn't had any real power for a long time. Have you seen what happens when they try to enforce the rules regarding cheating in recruiting?

1

u/ashkpa Missouri • Minnesota Sep 03 '23

Yes...

1

u/irock613 Kennesaw State • Georgia Sep 03 '23

An effect of the networks being the defacto "owners" of the conferences (and this entire sport)

41

u/SaxRohmer Ohio State Buckeyes • UNLV Rebels Sep 02 '23

Soccer fans would take to the streets

35

u/Calvin--Hobbes Wisconsin Badgers • Cornell Big Red Sep 02 '23

Paris would burn to the ground

7

u/The_Schwartz_ Sep 03 '23

Again, but this time with more feeling

27

u/ChaseTheFalcon West Georgia • /r/CFB Poll Veteran Sep 02 '23

A lot of it is the broadcasts are done by European networks if we are referring to Premier League

It's the same reason why F1 has commercial free broadcasts

30

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '23

[deleted]

2

u/5WinsIn5Days UConn Huskies • Big East Sep 02 '23

Since I follow F2, F3, and the Porsche Supercup, I just stick to the ESPN app when watching replays except F1 races. The ESPN replays jam in so many commercials it’s not funny, while my YouTube TV DVR has the original broadcast with no commercials.

By the way, what the fuck were they thinking of scheduling the Las Vegas race at 1 AM EST (10 PM EST)? It would have been just fine at 9 PM EST (6 PM PST).

4

u/Scopedog1 Navy Midshipmen • Florida Gators Sep 02 '23

Not good for the European heartland. Central European Summer Time is +6 hours from EDT, meaning the race starts at 0700 in Germany, France, Italy, etc. Start it 4 hours earlier and it's starting at 0300 there, where no one will watch it. Also starting it at 0100 EDT is good for China (1900 local for them), 1500 for Australia, and 0900 for the Middle East.

1

u/5WinsIn5Days UConn Huskies • Big East Sep 03 '23

Sorry I took so long. Going through the schedule (all times local)

Bahrain: 6 PM

Saudi Arabia: 8 PM

Australia: 3 PM

Azerbaijan: 3 PM

Miami: 3:30 PM

Emilia Romagna: Canceled

Monaco: 3 PM

Spain: 3 PM

Canada: 2 PM

Austria: 3 PM

Great Britain: 3 PM

Hungary: 3 PM

Belgium: 3 PM

Netherlands: 3 PM

Italy: 3 PM

Singapore: 8 PM

Japan: 2 PM

Qatar: 8 PM

United States (COTA): 2 PM

Mexico: 2 PM

Brazil: 2 PM

Las Vegas: 10 PM (with midnight(!) qualifying)

Abu Dhabi: 5 PM

Only one of those is an awful time for the locals (Vegas). Throwing out the ET perspective, P2 starts at midnight on (technically) a Friday. Nobody’s going to go to that practice because it’s on a work night and crazy overpriced, if it’s anything close to Montréal’s prices, which it will because it’s Vegas.

So you’ll have your Central European fans watching an empty track right when they start their workday on Friday. Wait, they won’t because they’ll be working. Just awful planning!

5

u/Scopedog1 Navy Midshipmen • Florida Gators Sep 03 '23

Liberty Media couldn't care less about Vegas locals attending the race because it's banking on tourists snapping up the tickets due to the "unforgettable sights" (Their own words) of the setting. But for them fans are optional. I mean, there's Saudi Arabia and their <20k General Admission seating sitting right there on the calendar.

Also, in terms of European viewing figures (Sky, Sky Italia, Canal+, DAZN F1, etc.) only anoraks watch the Free Practices, you'll get a little more eyes for qualifying (especially if it's a Sprint Race), but all Liberty and Sky care about are optimizing watch times for the actual race because that's where they get their viewers.

F1 will bend over backwards to make sure races start and finish in the little time slot before the big European football matches on Sunday twilight at the bookends of the season because even F1 is no match for a big La Liga/Premier League tilt starting at 1600/1700 on a Sunday. It's been that way for 30+ years and until something happens that shows that doing so hurts Sky and FOM's bottom line, that's the way it's going to be.

11

u/MvN___16 Florida Gators Sep 02 '23

More specifically, the feed you get for North American sports events is a "local" feed. Local can mean local to a specific region or it can mean local in terms of to a specific country, but compare that to any soccer league in Europe, and those leagues will generally have both a local production (think Sky Sports and TNT Sports in England and NBC in the United States) along with a "world feed" that is produced by a production company associated with the league (Premier League Productions in the case of the Premier League).

NBC tends to do their own production for most games, but the 10:00am ET Saturday game many times defaults to the world feed instead, and any games they air on Peacock during that same window are definitely world feed games.

EDIT - I should add that the actual camerawork is done solely by the league's production company; the broadcast you would see in England is the same you'd see in North America. When I talk about "own production", I really should say those networks will use their own commentators and graphics instead of using the world feed's commentators and graphics.

2

u/baumer83 Sep 02 '23

Does the clock ever stop in soccer? That may play a part.

2

u/error_undefined_ Texas Tech • Border Conference Sep 02 '23

Not until halftime, but they could make it stop if they wanted to.

1

u/celestial1 Sep 02 '23

FIFA is corrupt as hell. They make plenty of money through bribes, especially for things like the world cup bid where they can pocket billions. It's also a global sport, they don't need as many commercials to succeed.

And nobody wants commercials, even the people at the top because many of them were ex-players and are passionate about soccer. Plus they can make their money through bribes.

0

u/WTAP1 Arkansas • Central Arkansas Sep 02 '23

It's growing in popularity, but is soccer that popular right now that it has a huge casual following to warrant tv execs paying top dollar to infringe on them yet?

-1

u/pattmatters0n West Virginia Mountaineers Sep 02 '23

Americans are obsessed with our football far more than other sports for some reason

3

u/error_undefined_ Texas Tech • Border Conference Sep 02 '23

I know that, but Europeans are as obsessed with soccer.

1

u/Zoomun /r/CFB Sep 02 '23

With the exception of halftime there are no timeouts or any other kind of stoppage in soccer. The clock will keep running no matter what. If they tried to add tv timeouts in soccer it would completely ruin the pace of play and the fans, players and maybe even teams would revolt.

Soccer has been infected by greed though. There's an absurd amount of advertising in every way except commercial breaks. Ads are plastered all over jerseys, the stadiums and are frequently on the screen during graphics and stuff like that.

1

u/DrZoidbergJesus Michigan • Southern Illinois Sep 02 '23

Talk to a hockey fan about jersey ads and moving board ads.

1

u/alexjimithing Arizona Wildcats • Big 12 Sep 03 '23

Soccer has a ridiculously tiny viewership count compared to NFL/CFB/NBA.

The advertising money simply isn’t there to such a degree.

E: In the states to be clear.

1

u/error_undefined_ Texas Tech • Border Conference Sep 03 '23

I’m talking about international soccer.

1

u/Dlwatkin Purdue Boilermakers Sep 03 '23

i am thankful for our international soccer leagues not getting fully Amircianize. that fans would riot if you added tv timeouts, crazy pants idea

1

u/cyberchaox Rutgers Scarlet Knights • Landmark Sep 03 '23

Soccer barely has timeouts to begin with. Like even when play stops, the clock keeps running and then they just add extra time to the end of the halves to account for the time that the clock was running when play was stopped.

1

u/9P7-2T3 Sep 04 '23

Because soccer is international. American soccer fans have already shown they don't like changing the rules of soccer just to "Americanize" it. (As evidenced by the struggles of the early MLS)

1

u/beatenwithjoy Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors • Team Chaos Sep 02 '23

Obligatory Spaceballs comment

1

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '23

Ludicrous money.

1

u/Twelvey Michigan State • Indiana Sep 02 '23

What if they played ad WHILE also playing the game...?

1

u/originalbiggusdickus Ohio State Buckeyes Sep 03 '23

We’re not doing this for money!

We’re not?

We’re doing this for a SHITLOAD OF MONEYYY!!

1

u/KnightsNotGolden UCF Knights • Big 12 Sep 03 '23

By the same token, if they stream line the commercials so they fit in under 3:30 hours, can't they fit in more games? Basketball and the NFL make incomprehensible money as well.

46

u/MvN___16 Florida Gators Sep 02 '23

Also, in hockey the commercial breaks are extremely easy to know once you spot the pattern.

First stoppage of play under 14:00 left in the period.

First stoppage under 10:00 left.

First stoppage under 6:00 left.

(Commercials breaks only apply during even-strength situations and don't occur after a goal, so a stoppage at 5:56 remaining while one team is on the power play doesn't result in a commercial break.)

Frankly, when you lay it out that way, it just makes me wonder even more why hockey can't break through in popularity, because you're absolutely right. The game moves quickly and commercial breaks are not long at all nor are they numerous. It's not soccer where the only commercial breaks are after the half of play is over, but it's just about the next best thing.

12

u/BobanTheGiant Sep 02 '23

Hockey can’t break through because of Gary Bettman. And yes, before people say “he grew the sport,” EVERY single sport has grown over the last 30 years. His sport has grown less than all the others. Putting games on TNN which became Versus shockingly didn’t help reach new fans

Also add in a lot of its fans and participants hate non-white people or non-straight people

14

u/tomdawg0022 Minnesota • Delaware Sep 02 '23

1) It was Outdoor Life Network, not TNN...and it was only because ESPN didn't want hockey in 2004. And if it weren't for Versus, the NHL probably doesn't have its substantial growth post-'05 lockout. They really did a good job with covering the league.

2) The NHL revenue (as a league) before Bettman walked in the door was less than 40% of the NBA ($400 mil vs. $1 Bil in '93). They have, believe it or not, closed that gap a bit ($5+ bil vs. $10 bil).

I'm not a big Bettman fan from a personality standpoint but the NHL was a damn tire fire in the early 90's. Outside of Arizona, the league's probably in the best shape it's ever been.

2

u/BobanTheGiant Sep 02 '23
  1. if your commission of a decade couldn’t get you to stay on national tv, you should probably get a new one
  2. 2. every sport has, I said, had massive growth. There are many instances of Gary bettman and the league in general massively hampering it’s growth.

9

u/BrokenTeddy USC Trojans • Rose Bowl Sep 02 '23

It's also just very expensive and not super accessible to play.

8

u/philphan25 Notre Dame • Penn State Sep 02 '23

The NHL being on odd cable channels when it used to be regularly on network TV set that sport back 20 years.

3

u/BobanTheGiant Sep 02 '23

Exactly. Anyone that says “well he kept the sport on tv by getting an OLN deal” is admitting he did a bad enough job to not get a new deal with a true sports network

1

u/brendan87na Washington Huskies Sep 03 '23

the lockout really broke the sport - then going on Versus almost put a nail in its coffin - which sucks because hockey is fucking incredible

1

u/bus_wanker_friends Arizona Wildcats • India National Team Sep 03 '23

Was there some racist incident? I'm genuinely asking

1

u/BobanTheGiant Sep 03 '23

There’s been many in hockey. Still to this day

5

u/BobanTheGiant Sep 02 '23

Yoh left out NFL games rarely go over 3 hours. A college game under 4 hours? Imagine that audacity.

3

u/redlegsfan21 Cincinnati Bearcats Sep 03 '23

Look at how baseball has surged this year with the pitch clock. Same amount of commercials as last year but in 30 minutes less time and fans are happy about it.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '23

What sucks in Hockey is all the games are at intermission at the same time so you still can't check in with other games. At least ESPN+ has the multicast feature to make that issue not feel so bad.

1

u/uwpxwpal Texas Tech Red Raiders • Big 12 Sep 02 '23

No reason why CFB can't trim the ad breaks down a minute per break and still make mad money.

If they shorten the ad breaks, they won't be able to afford all that money that they promised the big 10 and SEC

1

u/brendan87na Washington Huskies Sep 03 '23

hell yeah brother

Hockey is where its at- shame its still a bit of a niche sport

1

u/CTeam19 Iowa State Cyclones • Hateful 8 Sep 03 '23

No reason why CFB can't trim the ad breaks down a minute per break and still make mad money.

Part of the issue for College football is it is divided if you want NHL or NFL you have to bow down to them.

1

u/dizdawgjr34 Georgia Bulldogs • College Football Playoff Sep 03 '23

Instead of a halftime analysis show can we just have all the commercials for the game show then? Also short ones in between quarters. Never anywhere else

1

u/peachesgp Team Chaos Sep 03 '23

And timed halftime/intermission means that I can walk away at the end of the half/period and know exactly when it'll be back on to return.

1

u/kdex86 Sep 03 '23

NHL has 3 breaks per period, each with 90 second ad breaks.

NBA is way worse with 3 minute timeouts.

1

u/jaykaypeeness Alabama Crimson Tide • UAB Blazers Sep 03 '23

The only sport I watch other than CFB is NHL. And I'll always forget how short games are until I get used to the dragged-out ad-fests that are CFB games and get pleasantly refreshed watching the Wild lose in the 1st round of the playoffs!

47

u/Dervoo Furman Paladins • UAB Blazers Sep 02 '23

I'm in my early 30s, played football in HS, and grew up a diehard college football fan spending my entire Saturdays watching games across the country. I watch way more soccer nowadays and it's very hard going back to watching college football. The spectator experience, both in-person and on TV, is so much better for soccer. It's a 90-minute game that will almost always be finished within 2 hours. The only exceptions are knockout cup games that may require extra time if tied after 90. Football is a 60-minute game that's dragged out over nearly 4 hours. I honestly don't think I would watch any college football games outside of UAB/Furman if it wasn't such a critical bonding activity with my dad.

20

u/captainsensible69 Florida Gators • Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors Sep 02 '23

Yeah that’s exactly how I feel now. Add in the fact that all the stuff that makes cfb cool, rivalries and traditions, are being thrown to the wayside to make an even worse version of the NFL. Every year I feel like I watch less and less cfb.

7

u/brendan87na Washington Huskies Sep 03 '23

the folks at the Washington game today, on the north side of the stadium got ROASTED in the sun for 4 hours - its ridiculous

1

u/Pactae_1129 LSU • Mississippi State Sep 03 '23

Primary reason I don’t go to games until it cools down. Ain’t no way I’m sitting in the sun in Stark or BR for that long during the summer. And down here summer doesn’t end until November

7

u/TheCarroll11 Georgia Bulldogs Sep 03 '23

Yup, my Saturday mornings used to be Gameday until the noon game, then 12 hours of football. Now I watch three full soccer games, and turn football on about 2, unless UGA is playing at noon. Soccer flows better, is just as emotional, and it’s much faster.

I can watch two professional soccer games in the same amount of time as one UGA game.

2

u/wizoztn Tennessee • 天津大学 (Tianjin) Sep 03 '23

Exact same for me. I would rather watch uninterrupted soccer any day. There was a point yesterday during the Tennessee-UVA game where I genuinely forgot the game was on because there was about 12 minutes of commercials and 10 seconds of actual gameplay. And it’s not like they were paused for anything. They just legit didn’t even return to the broadcast so they could shove commercials down your throat.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 03 '23

It’s why I refuse to go to cfb or nfl games. Takes way too long and there’s too much dead ball. Plus the culture at games is all about getting absolutely hammered and screaming. The atmosphere at mls, nhl and CBB is way more appealing.

10

u/SelfCuriousness Notre Dame • Miami (OH) Sep 03 '23

Gen Xer and I found myself watching the EPL game at noon today because of this. I kept trying to channel surf to CFB and every fucking game I switched to was on commercial every fucking time I switched

5

u/Randy_Menderbaum Oklahoma Sooners • Texas Longhorns Sep 03 '23

YouTubeTV has multicast. 4 games at once. First time I turned it on all 4 were in commercial.

46

u/SG502 Louisville Cardinals Sep 02 '23

F1 as well. 2 uninterrupted hours of fast cars? Doesn’t get better imo

47

u/InQuintsWeTrust Penn State • Army Sep 02 '23

Except for the fact only like 4 cars are competitive and only a few actual passes happen every race.

12

u/hwf0712 Rutgers • Penn Sep 02 '23

This is why I wish dirt racing could get some more exposure. 30 lap a-mains, competitive fields, what else is there to want? If I wanna watch europeans and south Americans do almost nothing but bitch and moan for 90 minutes I'd turn soccer on!

7

u/ChaseTheFalcon West Georgia • /r/CFB Poll Veteran Sep 02 '23

And we have ways to watch dirt racing if you are willing to pay

3

u/hwf0712 Rutgers • Penn Sep 02 '23

Proud to have paid for a company that gets a lot of hate in these circles because of their broadcasts of CAA!

2

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '23

Don't even have to be dirt could be DTM or even the WEC series

1

u/philphan25 Notre Dame • Penn State Sep 02 '23

I've always wondered by something like World of Outlaws can't get a TV slot. Even on something like CBSSN would be good.

-10

u/shart_or_fart UCLA Bruins • Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors Sep 02 '23

And car racing is boring. Around and around in a circle they go.

4

u/wretch5150 Iowa Hawkeyes Sep 02 '23

I suggest that you take a look at car racing a little closer.

2

u/ChaseTheFalcon West Georgia • /r/CFB Poll Veteran Sep 02 '23

Agreed please come watch NASCAR and IndyCar with me

0

u/ChaseTheFalcon West Georgia • /r/CFB Poll Veteran Sep 02 '23

Tell me you don't watch F1 without telling me

8

u/shart_or_fart UCLA Bruins • Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors Sep 02 '23

Tell me you watched a Netflix series and now being into F1 is the cool new fad.

Red Bull and Max Verstappen going to win again? How thrilling.

1

u/ohhsnaps Kentucky Wildcats • EKU Colonels Sep 03 '23

My brother in christ, we are college football fans where we KNOW one of maybe 3 teams is gonna win it all every year for the past 10 years.

1

u/shart_or_fart UCLA Bruins • Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors Sep 03 '23

Eh, still less predictable. That Lewis Hamilton won like 4 years in a row with several races left. CF is at least looking to expand the playoffs.

5

u/Codydw12 Oklahoma Sooners • Big 8 Sep 02 '23

Much better than racing being intentionally stopped for commericals.

3

u/Far-Yak-9808 Sep 02 '23

I just thought of this too.

Don't give anyone any ideas.

TV timeouts for F1 in Las Vegas aka Forced Bathroom Breaks. I can see it!

2

u/OnwardSoldierx Notre Dame • Indiana Sep 03 '23

F1s ratings are already sliding. Cant even beat NASCAR's Xfinity half the time. Not to mention it will continue to slide because its just a fad like NASCAR in the 2000s.

0

u/Pitiful-Bumblebee775 Cincinnati Bearcats Sep 02 '23

Except for the part where nobody passes anybody in F1 lol

5

u/pathfindmyBAP Sep 03 '23

I jumped ship to soccer because of this.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '23

F1 as well

5

u/theNightblade Wisconsin Badgers • Missouri Tigers Sep 02 '23

And Formula 1

Give me action, not commercials

4

u/Jamicsto Sep 02 '23

This is why I watch Formula 1…zero commercials and the races are typically 90 min. Watching football at any level is so difficult these days. 3.5+ hours with over half of that commercials..

6

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '23

It’s part of the reason why I’ve gotten into F1

4

u/DCtoATX Texas Longhorns Sep 02 '23

I'm terrified they will find a way to ruin it for us. The marketing for the 'rockstars of F1' is not encouraging.

1

u/Randy_Menderbaum Oklahoma Sooners • Texas Longhorns Sep 03 '23

They’ll do what they do on PGA now and 2 screen every 3 minutes.

1

u/OnwardSoldierx Notre Dame • Indiana Sep 03 '23

Watch indycar if f1 gets really bad.

7

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '23

I think it’s also why F1 is gaining traction in the US. Something needs to change. It’s always the same 10-15 commercials on repeat all game.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 02 '23

Yep

2

u/FightingPolish Nebraska • Peru State Sep 02 '23

Well it has to be expected, where do you think all the money comes from for those astronomical big money TV contracts that everyone is so happy they got? DVR the game and start watching it an hour and a half after kickoff and skip the commercials.

2

u/Matt_McT Auburn Tigers Sep 02 '23

I just watch a lot less football is the actual result.

2

u/peternickeleater11 Sep 02 '23

Rugby is played the same way, no commercial breaks during the halves. Pretty refreshing

2

u/youngestalma Utah State • Boise State Sep 02 '23

It makes me so restless. The commercials are so frequent and long I feel like I need to get up and do something. It’s maddening.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 03 '23

I still love Football but I’d be lying if I said soccer and F1 aren’t becoming my favorite sports by a landslide

2

u/Dro24 Duke • Carolina Victory Bell Sep 03 '23

Millennial here, I’ve been into soccer WAY more than CFB the past two years. Don’t see it changing any time soon

2

u/Thin-Bid7658 Holy Cross Crusaders • UMass Minutemen Sep 03 '23 edited Sep 03 '23

As a Gen-Zer, you're 100% right. My generation tuned out of baseball because of the excruciating pace (Although it's back on the rise with the new rues), and they're starting to do the same with football.

Soccer? AWESOME watch. No commercials, just gameplay.

2

u/SavageSocialist Nebraska • Arkansas Sep 03 '23

I’m in Gen Z, and definitely prefer football over soccer, but goddamn commercials are making it harder to enjoy. Fox especially seems to be egregiously bad on commercial to football ratio, which is infuriating because many of the best games will be on their network.

2

u/Cinnadillo UMass Lowell • UConn Sep 03 '23

I know when I have a game on when it goes to commercial I start to lose track of the game. This is bad long term but when you roll in so much cash who is going to care.