Unrivaled Women’s Basketball Games Feature Ad-Free Quarters — Which Big Leagues Can’t

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor When it comes to keeping fans from having to watch the usual heavy load of sports ads, Unrivaled has been undaunted.

The start-up three-on-three women’s basketball league, with clubs such as the Phantoms and the Lunar Owls, launched in part to provide an alternative for players who often travel abroad to play during the WNBA off season, but it is also doing something different for its sponsors.

During each game, two of the four seven-minute quarters are presented without commercial interruption. “It gives back to the fan, as opposed to interrupting the narrative,” says Craig Barry, chief content officer for Warner Bros.

Discovery’s TNT Sports, which is telecasting the league’s first season through mid-March. Viewers who watch the games are told that online retailer Wayfair is the sponsor of the commercial-free first quarter, while AT&T helps make the uninterrupted fourth quarter telecast possible.