TV | August 31, 2017 12:49 pm

Fox Sports to Feature Six-Second TV Ads During NFL Games This Season

New format will be an experimental alternative to traditional 15- and 30-second commercials.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins #12 of the Washington Redskins is tackled by DeMarcus Ware #94 of the Dallas Cowboys in the second half during an NFL game at FedExField on December 22, 2013 in Landover, Maryland. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

By Will Levith

Attention NFL fans with short attention spans: You can now add “guinea pig” to your résumé.

According to The New York Times, Fox Sports will be testing out hyper-short six-second commercials for its upcoming 2017 pro-football telecasts. The shorter ads will run in tandem with the more traditional 15- and 30-second spots.

The micro ads were first tested during the Teen Choice Awards, which aired earlier this month.

It’s not a novel concept; many of the YouTube videos you’ve watched on RealClearLife recently have started off with a short ad just like the ones Fox Sports is planning.

The new ad units will attempt not only to bring an old idea to a new medium, but also, as Fox is hoping, make for a new go-to industry standard. “When the six-second ads are placed in unique positions, it has the potential to gain even more attention than a traditional unit,” predicted Eric Shanks, president of Fox Sports, in an interview with the Times.

The six-second ad spots will first appear before Fox Sports’ NFL games on Sept. 10, and also have been floated as possibilities for the World Series and other major events.