The NFL is getting annoyingly creative with tiny ads this year

NFL 49ers versus Vikings.
(Image credit: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Ultrashort ads aren't uncommon during the Super Bowl, when each second of marketing time costs thousands of dollars. Regular season NFL viewers, though, are going to have to adjust to the especially annoying format as Fox rolls out six-second ad spots during games this fall.

The new spots run less than half the length of the 15- or 30-second ads that are the norm for TV, The New York Times reports, and may even play during in-game breaks, such as "in a box adjacent to players on a field during pauses." "When the six-second ads are placed in unique positions, it has the potential to gain even more attention than a traditional unit," Fox Sports president Eric Shanks said of the decision.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.