Americans often anticipate catching the Superbowl each year understanding the commercial interruptions are a good part of the event. This isn’t the case with former FBI director James Comey’s testimony coverage this morning. According to Variety, several networks plan on covering the event without going to commercial.
Networks like Fox News, CBS and CNN are convinced the lost revenue by forgoing way of advertisements will be made up in large part by the masses of the American people tuning in. They believe taking ads out of the equation will ramp up the significance of this event.
Variety confirms PBS, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox will transmit the event via broadcast, while Bloomberg, MSNBC, CSPAN, CNBC, CNN, Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network will air the event via cable. CNN plans on allowing viewers to stream the event digitally without using a subscription service. Its expected a combined loss of revenue by vacating ads during the event will cost the networks a combined figure in the tens of thousands of dollars.
NBC shared an article on how to watch the James Comey testimony on various broadcast and cable outlets.
The testimony surroiunds President Trump’s decision to fire Mr. James Comey last month, leading to Comey testifying before congress on the F.B.I.’s investigation into any links between Russia and the Trump administration’s involvement with the tampering of last year’s presidential election, the New York Times reports.
“They really should declare a national holiday,” said Sally Quinn, a journalist and the doyenne of Washington’s social circuit, “since no work is going to get done,” the New York Times shared.
Networks lost a combined $313.2 million in ad revenue when covering the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and its aftermath.