The Pac-12 is out to mix things up a bit.
On Wednesday, the conference announced additional details on an incoming “test program,” designed to improve game-day experiences for fans both at various stadiums around the league as well as those watching over the air.
The goal is to shorten the length of football games, which over the years have continually extended.
The Pac-12 will implement new pilot initiatives at all of its non-conference games on Pac-12 Networks. That includes a combination of shortened halftimes, adjusted commercial formats and, perhaps, moving up of kickoff times depending on the game.
That means Utah’s 2017 season-opener against North Dakota on Thursday (5:30 p.m.) will be the first of many to try it out.
“We are committed to exploring new ways to provide our fans with the most enjoyable and engaging entertainment experience,” said Larry Scott, Commissioner of the Pac-12, in a release. “The Pac-12 Networks’ unique ownership model provides the conference the flexibility to test new methods in its efforts to produce a better product for Pac-12 fans. We look forward to evaluating the results of this pilot program and discussing with our member universities as a next step following this year’s football season.”
Every non-conference game on the Pac-12 Network in 2017 will feature reduced break times between first and second quarters, plus third and fourth quarters. Select games will have a reduced break format that will cut down on as much as four minutes of break time. To cut down on halftime, both participating programs must agree to the proposal of slimming down from a 20-minute period to a 15-minute period.
The Pac-12 Networks also plans on experimenting with “:01 kickoff times,” allowing kickoff to start closer to the originally-listed game time. As an example in the release, a game slated to kick at 3 p.m., would commence at 3:01 p.m., instead of delayed starts. The release states that these new efforts aim to shorten game length up to 10 minutes and cut down on broadcast windows by up to 15 minutes.
Such initiatives have sprung after the conference conducted evaluations of broadcast viewership, attendance habits and consultations with various coaches and school administrators to address the issue of game length. The program will run through the course of the 2017 season, and at its conclusion, the conference will collect feedback from fans, coaches, administrators and broadcast partners to evaluate ahead of the next phase.