NFL RedZone rendered almost unwatchable by severe issues as fans blame $2billion ESPN deal

NFL fans were left furious on Sunday as NFL RedZone’s audio broadcast was lost in around 10 minutes of ear-splitting static.

Host Scott Hanson continued to report on the games, and some international viewers appeared to be unaffected.

But social media was flooded with comments Stateside as people demanded a fix.

“Who could have possibly seen that @espn taking over #nflredzone was going to go poorly? they’ve already mangled production so much this year. and now @ScottHanson audio is just cooked,” wrote one.

“Blame ESPN for the audio on Redzone,” added another.

“NFL #RedZone with the biggest fall off in history. Lots of commercials now. 10 straight minutes of static. More gambling talk. ESPN ruined it,” a third blasted.

A fourth complained: “I’m just gonna say it. Since we got ads on #nflredzone, the audio has been horrible. Literal static playing instead of anything else on mobile and TV. @ScottHanson what is going on over there?”

ESPN acquired NFL Network’s media assets in an August deal that saw the league get a 10 percent equity stake in the broadcaster.

The no-cash purchase was valued at around $2 billion to $3 billion by experts.

In the wake of the deal, it was announced that RedZone would carry adverts — ending the era of seven hours of commercial free football.

Many blamed ESPN for the move and the critics were out in force again in Week 14 after another mishap.

To address concerns at the start of the season, ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported that viewers would see between one and two minutes of ads in 15-second increments.

That was true in Week 1, but by Week 13, the numbers had risen massively.

Sports Business Journal found that 17 advertisements ran on that day’s coverage.

The spots were between 15 and 20 seconds, with a 30-second DraftKings plug later in the broadcast.

In total, there were five minutes of commercials and advertising — more than double the original limit.

More to follow…

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