Peacock not to feature traditional commercials in NFL game

NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers will become the first in the industry to lack a familiar feature.

The game, which is scheduled to stream on NBCUniversal’s Peacock, will play its entire fourth quarter without commercials — a first for a televised NFL game.

It’s also the first time Peacock will be the exclusive platform for an NFL game.

This will be made possible by “presenting sponsors” Capital One, Hyundai and Walmart, who will all get shoutouts at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Overall, NBC says the game will have about 40% fewer ads than a typical NFL game.

“We are proud to work with our partners at the NFL to present this first-of-its kind experience,” said NBC Sports President Rick Cordella in a statement. “NBC Sports’ best-in-class NFL production, Peacock’s fan-friendly viewer experience, and this innovative advertising model will allow NFL fans an exciting new way to watch the game’s conclusion.”

In place of commercial breaks, Peacock viewers will see content takeovers and game features tied into “Football Night in America” studio analysis, all billed under the sponsors’ names.

NBC will also be including its first shoppable moment during an NFL game in partnership with Walmart. A QR code embedded in the stream will allow viewers to explore Walmart’s holiday shopping hub.

This will be paired with a more traditional ad during the game starring NBC Sports’ Chris Simms and Devin McCourty. The spot will reportedly see the two turning to Walmart for their last-minute holiday gift-giving needs.

“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, global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal in a 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.” NewsCastStudio