Why is Boycott RedZone trending? Fans call out Disney ESPN over broadcast interference

Disney’s ESPN and NFL RedZone are receiving heavy criticism on social media due to broadcast interferences as a result of commercials. The phrase “Boycott RedZone” is currently trending for the same reason.

The latest issue has emerged around a month after ESPN finalized a deal for the acquisition of the NFL Network. According to NBC News, the new deal also allowed ESPN to take the rights for the distribution of the NFL RedZone channel to all customers. However, the price of the deal was not disclosed at the time.

A report by Sportico on September 3, 2025, stated that commercial messages would appear from now onwards on the NFL RedZone, with the ads airing on a separate box along with the game appearing on another box. Furthermore, the outlet also stated that the ad spots will be limited on the afternoon of the upcoming Sunday.

Meanwhile, the appearance of commercials along with the game has not been well-received by the general public. Netizens have been sharing their reactions to the same on X (formerly Twitter) by using the hashtag #BoycottRedzone.

A user requested that everyone cancel their subscriptions to any platform linked with Disney and ESPN until RedZone is free of commercials.

“Let’s start a movement. Cancel all subscriptions associated with Disney and ESPN until they give us Redzone back ad-free. #BoycottRedzone,” @imacrsmith wrote on X.

Another user refused to pay for his subscription due to the presence of commercials.

“#BoycottRedzone I am not paying for commercials this is fu**ing bullsh*t,” @jigonme commented.

An individual compared the ongoing situation to Cracker Barrell returning to its old logo, stating that the backlash will be “louder” when the nature of a product changes.

“Cracker Barrell switched back their logo because of public outrage and that was just a logo. When you fundamentally change the entire nature of your product, the outrage is gonna be way louder #BoycottRedzone,” @YZR_Fantasy said on X.

One of the users wrote that the addition of commercials will make everyone miss half of everything that is going on in the game.

“#Boycottredzone . It’s criminal for them to add commercials. What’s the point of redzone if I miss half the action during commercials,” @hicksburner stated.

Scott Hanson opens up on the decision of adding commercials to RedZone

While RedZone will include commercials for the current season, the testing for the same started in December last year. According to NBC Sports, four short ads were displayed during a RedZone broadcast, and fans had even reacted at the time on social media, addressing how the commercials impacted their experience of watching the game.

RedZone host Scott Hanson referred to the inclusion of ads while speaking on The Pat McAfee Show on September 3, 2025. He said that viewers should not worry about the commercials, adding that people are expected to have some issues with them. Hanson explained the same by saying:

“The business folks handle the business. And I have no say over different elements that could or could not be in the show.”

Scott also clarified that any important thing related to football won’t be “sacrificed” for the sake of business and continued:

“When you see me come on the air, we’re gonna hit the Octobox, we’ve got eight games in the early window, taking you around to all the different cities. And then when we get into it, ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s been more than 250 days since the first full NFL Sunday, but we are back!”

Meanwhile, Disney’s ESPN and NFL RedZone have not responded to the criticism emerging on social media due to the addition of commercials.