NBC’s long-running sketch show Saturday Night Live has created hundreds of parody commercials for products including Mom Jeans and the Love Toilet over the years. Beginning next year, however, viewers will see less of the real thing.
NBC’s parent company NBCUniversal announced yesterday that the show planned to reduce its commercial load by 30% for its 42nd season, eliminating two commercial pods from the 90-minute telecast.
It plans to offset the decline in the number of spots with the addition of more sponsored content within the show.
“Since 1975, SNL has shaped and driven conversation,” said Linda Yaccarino, chairman of advertising sales and client partnerships for NBCUniversal, in a release. “By partnering together, advertisers can capture an audience that only SNL can deliver.”
According to a report on Variety.com quoting Yaccarino, NBC will give advertisers the opportunity to develop their own commercials six times a year that tie in with the program. She said the show will be in charge of the spots, which will be created in association with advertisers.
SNL creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels said commercial time in the show has grown over the years, and the new move would give time back to the show and make it easier to watch live.
These aren’t exactly uncharted waters for SNL, however. In 2009, it created a series of sketches for Pepsi based on its MacGyver spoof “MacGruber” that appeared during commercial breaks in a January broadcast.
That same year, it also sold all national airtime to Anheuser Busch InBev to promote its Bud Light Golden Wheat product. In turn, the beer brand sponsored segments called “Backstage with Bud Light Golden Wheat” featuring never-before-seen clips from SNL over the years.
Global Television airs SNL in Canada. Parent company Corus Entertainment did not make a company spokesperson available before press time.
