While football reigns as the top sport in the United States, even its biggest fans agree that the televised product suffers from the volume and timing of commercial breaks. The NFL has considered these concerns and, according to Green Bay Packers team president Mark Murphy, plans to do something about it.
During the 2017 season, NFL games will no longer include the "double up" commercial breaks when a team scores. In the past, a commercial break would immediately follow a touchdown with another arriving directly after the ensuing kickoff. These pauses significantly affected the momentum of the broadcast and might have contributed to the television rating downturn last season.
How the league plans to make up for the lost commercial slots remains to be seen. Perhaps it will add commercials to the other commercial breaks. This could also serve as a precursor to the dreaded advertisements on uniforms (team practice jerseys already include sponsorships).
Still, the removal of one of the more intrusive commercial interruptions in sports should do wonders for the televised product.