“Saturday Night Live” makes the sponsorship change as it heads into its 42nd season on NBC. The peacock network will be go lighter on commercial time during each new episode of Saturday Night Live next season, in addition to introducing a new form of advertising that will integrate sketches with sponsors. An average half-hour of television has about seven to eight minutes of commercials spread across two or three commercial breaks. “We are excited to try something new and unique that will shape and drive advertiser content too”, Linda Yaccarino, chairman of advertising sales at NBCUniversal.
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Jimmy Fallon recounted on the “SNL” special that he coaxed Prince to the stage during the party celebrating the show’s 40th anniversary special. The move represents a shift towards more targeted ads and even has a sponsored content component for key brand partners.
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For “SNL“, which boasts a younger audience, an improved experience is something the audience has come to expect, Ms. Yaccarino said. You can also watch full episodes and individual sketches online. Of course, there’s a catch: in exchange for fewer commercials, the show will be folding in six (presumably very pricey) “native pods” of branded content per year. “As the decades have gone by, commercial time has grown”, SNL’s creator and executive producer, Lorne Michaels, said in a statement. NBC most likely wants to move YouTube eyeballs back to the TV screen, but the lateness of the show’s start time (11:30 p.m. ET) may put a dent in audience interest as well. “This will give time back to the show and make it easier to watch the show live”. In response, media giants and the brands that advertise with them have begun to rethink their approach to marketing.
