Commercials are the lifeblood of many television shows, but Saturday Night Live is going against the norm by having fewer of them in its coming season.
NBC announced that it will be cutting down about 30 percent of ads for SNL, which translates to two fewer commercial breaks for every 90-minute episode. Aside from giving some time back to the show and making room for more political jokes (the last leg of the presidential election is nearing, after all), the move was done to encourage viewers to come watch SNL live.
It's not clear if NBC will be charging more for the remaining commercial spots, but the network has said that it will also be focusing on offering more original brand content, like the branded sketches that SNL is known for.
"By partnering together, advertisers can capture an audience that only SNL can deliver," said Linda Yaccarino, chairman for Advertising Sales and Client Partnerships in NBCUniversal.
SNL comes up with a two-hour dress rehearsal a few hours before the show goes live. Lorne Michaels, the show's creator and executive producer, then gets to work cutting out around 30 minutes of content that NBC makes available on the network's digital platforms. With some 30 minutes of ad time removed, SNL can offer the same number of minutes of sponsored content for advertisers to take advantage of.
The show has an average audience of about 6 million this season, but gets a leg up through time-shifted viewing. Original episodes brought 50 percent more via Live Plus 7-day viewing, pushing figures to about 8.6 million.
With the drop in commercial breaks, SNL is NBC's next avenue for branded content. On Leap Day, the network teamed up with American Express to showcase sponsored content from the company.
SNL aired its first season in 1975, with the first ever episode hosted by George Carlin. More than 40 years later, it's still bringing some of the best satirical content on TV coupled with amazing performances from musical guests.
Recently, a never-before-seen after-party performance by Prince for the show's 40th anniversary was released. The show paid tribute to the music icon after he passed away on April 21.
