Dive Brief:
- Adweek is reporting Saturday Night Live is making a change this upcoming fall season by dropping two advertising breaks from the show to enhance the live viewing experience.
- Some of the cut ad time will be filled with sponsored content.
- Even though SNL’s viewership is growing within a week of the show’s airing, the move is expected to help grow viewership for the live version of the show.
Dive Insight:
The move by the long-running comedy show isn’t unprecedented in the current marketplace.
Last month several cable networks tested the waters with ad-free airings that included sponsored content. NBC ran sponsored content from American Express on some shows in lieu of traditional ad spots, and Vice Media launched its cable network, Viceland, with an advertising model based on branded content. Essentially TV is looking toward new ways to entice audiences that break the mold of the traditional ad break with 30- or 60-second spots.
Lorne Michaels, SNL’s creator and executive producer, told Adweek, "As the decades have gone by, commercial time has grown. This will give time back to the show and make it easier to watch the show live."
The show averages 6 million viewers this season, but that number jumps to 8.6 million when stretched to Live Plus 7-day viewing. Fewer ad spots during the live broadcast might entice viewers to tune in at the scheduled time.