How Long Is An Average NFL Game On TV?

The average NFL game on television lasts about three hours. This includes commercials, halftime, and any other breaks in the action. So, if you’re looking to watch an entire game from start to finish, you should plan on setting aside at least three hours.

Introduction

How long is an average NFL game on TV?

It depends on the network broadcasting the game. NBC broadcasts typically have the longest games, while FOX broadcasts tend to be the shortest. An average game on NBC is about 3 hours and 15 minutes, while an average game on FOX is about 2 hours and 45 minutes.

How long is an average NFL game on TV?

The average NFL game on television is three hours long. This includes commercials and half-time. If you take out commercials and half-time, the average NFL game is two hours long.

Pre-game show

Pre-game show is when the commentators and analysts give their predictions for the game, talk about what happened in the previous games and look at match-ups for the current game. It generally lasts one hour.

Game broadcast

The average length of an NFL game on TV is about 3 hours and 12 minutes, according to Nielsen. That’s up 5 minutes from last year and 10 minutes from two years ago.

The increase is due in part to the rise in commercial break time, which has jumped from 2 minutes and 45 seconds in 2017 to 3 minutes and 7 seconds this season. That’s an increase of 22 seconds per game, or nearly 10 minutes over the course of a three-hour broadcast.

It’s not just commercials that are taking up more time, either. The average play clock time has also increased by about 5 seconds this season, from 25 seconds in 2017 to 30 seconds in 2018. That may not seem like much, but it adds up to more than 10 minutes over the course of a game.

So why are games taking longer on TV? There are a few possible explanations.

First, there’s the issue of penalties. Penalties are up across the NFL this season, both in terms of frequency and yards penalized. That means more time is being spent on replays and other official reviews, which can add a few minutes to the length of a game.

Second, there’s simply more scoring happening in the NFL these days. With touchdowns happening at a record rate, there are more stoppages for extra point and two-point conversion attempts. That adds up to more time on commercial breaks and more time between plays.

Finally, it’s worth noting that broadcast networks have been increasingly willing to flex longer games into prime-time slots on Sundays (and Thursdays). That means viewers are seeing more three-hour-plus games than ever before.

So if you’re finding yourself stuck in front of the TV for an extra hour on Sundays this fall, you can blame (or thank) the NFL for that.

Post-game show

The post-game show is usually about an hour long, and consists of highlights from all the games that were played that day, along with commentary from the pundits.

How has the length of NFL games on TV changed over time?

The average length of an NFL game on TV has increased over time. In 2009, the average length of an NFL game on TV was 3 hours and 8 minutes. In 2019, the average length of an NFL game on TV was 3 hours and 24 minutes. That is an increase of 16 minutes.

Pre-game show

The average length of an NFL game on TV has increased slightly over the last few years, but is still shorter than it was a decade ago.

Pre-game show: Before the game starts, there is a pre-game show that runs for about an hour. This includes interviews with players and coaches, analysis of the match-up, and predictions for the game.

Game: The actual game itself lasts for about 3 hours. This includes time for commercials, replays, and other breaks in the action.

Post-game show: After the game ends, there is a post-game show that runs for about 30 minutes. This includes highlights of the game, interviews with players and coaches, and a recap of the game.

Game broadcast

TV broadcasts have changed a lot since the first live NFL game was shown in 1939. The games were much shorter then, lasting only about an hour. Today, the average NFL game lasts about 3 hours.

There are several reasons for this increase in time. One is that there are more commercials now. In 1939, there were only a few minutes of commercials during the game. Today, there are around 10 minutes of commercials every hour of the broadcast. That means that there are about 30 minutes of commercials during an NFL game.

Another reason games take longer is that there are more replays now. In the early days of football on TV, there were no replays. There was also no way to stop the action and take a closer look at what had just happened on the field. Today, there are many replays during a game, and they often last for several minutes each.

Finally, today’s games are longer because there is more time between plays than there used to be. In the early days of football on TV, the cameras would stay on the field between plays, showing the players and coaches talking to each other. Today, cameras often leave the field between plays, so viewers can see things like interviews with players and coaches or highlights from other games.

Post-game show

The post-game show, also known as the postgame show, postgame coverage, or post-game wrap-up, is a television program which airs immediately after a sporting event on many broadcast and cable networks. Its length is often determined by the length of the event, whether it ran into overtime, or special circumstances such as weather delays. It usually features highlights of the event (particularly any dramatic finishes), interviews with participants, discussions by analysts/commentators of the event’s key moments, and commentary on upcoming games.

What factors affect the length of NFL games on TV?

NFL games on TV are typically about 3 hours long, but there are several factors that can affect the actual length of the game. For example, if there is a lot of scoring, the game will likely be longer. If there are a lot of penalties, the game can also be longer. Other factors include the type of TV broadcast (e.g. live or taped), the time of day the game is played, and whether or not there are commercials.

Commercial breaks

Commercial breaks during NFL games have been increasing in length over the years, and this is one of the main factors affecting the overall length of games. In 2017, the average length of a commercial break during an NFL game was 2 minutes and 8 seconds, up from 1 minute and 50 seconds in 2008. This increase of 18 seconds may not seem like much, but it adds up over the course of a 3-hour game.

In 2017, there were an average of 13 commercial breaks per game, totaling 32 minutes and 24 seconds. That’s nearly 10% of the total broadcast time! The NFL is well aware of this issue and has been working to find ways to reduce the number of commercial breaks, but so far they have not been successful.

One proposed solution is to shorten the length of each break by 30 seconds, but this would likely lead to even more commercials being aired during the game. Another proposed solution is to reduce the number of breaks per game by 2 or 3, but this would likely lead to longer individual breaks which could be just as disruptive to the flow of the game.

It’s important to note that not all commercials are equal in length; some are only 30 seconds while others are 60 seconds or even 2 minutes. It’s also important to note that there are other factors that affect the length of NFL games on TV, such as penalties, weather delays, etc. But overall, commercial breaks are the biggest factor influencing the length of games.

Game length

The average length of an NFL game has increased significantly in recent years, rising from 2 hours and 48 minutes in 2008 to 3 hours and 7 minutes in 2016, according to Nielsen data.

There are a number of factors that contribute to this increase, including:
-More commercials: The amount of time devoted to commercials has increased from 11 minutes in 2008 to 15 minutes in 2016.
-Longer play clock: The play clock, which governs the amount of time between plays, was shortened from 40 seconds to 25 seconds in 2008. However, it was increased back to 40 seconds for the 2012 season.
-More replays: The number of replays shown during games has increased from an average of 2.3 per game in 2008 to 4.6 per game in 2016.
-Longer halftime: The average length of halftime has increased from 12 minutes in 2008 to 15 minutes in 2016.

All of these factors combine to make NFL games longer than they used to be. However, there are some signs that the league is trying to address the issue. For example, the play clock was shortened again for the 2018 season, and commercial breaks were reduced by one minute.

Weather delays

Weather delays are one of the most common reasons for an NFL game to run long. A typical delay due to weather lasts between 30 and 45 minutes, but in some cases, delays can last much longer. If a game is delayed due to lightning, for example, it must wait 30 minutes after the last lightning strike before it can resume play. This means that a game that was scheduled to last three hours could potentially end up lasting four hours or more if there are multiple weather delays.

Conclusion

On average, an NFL game lasts about 3 hours and 12 minutes, but if you take out all the time between plays (including commercials), the action on the field only accounts for about 11 minutes.