Beginning this fall, NBC’s iconic “Saturday Night Live” will substantially reduce the number of national commercials it airs during the live weekend broadcasts.
A network press release confirms that the show will reduce “two commercial pods,” thus decreasing the national commercial load by 30%.
“As the decades have gone by, commercial time has grown,” said Lorne Michaels, creator and executive producer. “Saturday Night Live. This will give time back to the show and make it easier to watch the show live.”
In conjunction with the change, there will be “an addition of original sponsored content from advertisers that partner with the show.”
“Since 1975, ‘SNL’ has shaped and driven conversation. We are excited to try something new and unique that will shape and drive advertiser content too,” said Linda Yaccarino, Chairman, Advertising Sales and Client Partnerships, NBCUniversal. “By partnering together, advertisers can capture an audience that only ‘SNL’ can deliver.”