Comcast ads during NFL game draw flags

Comcast customers watching the New York Giants eventually defeat the San Francisco 49ers had their viewing pleasure rudely interrupted with a couple of accidental commercials for the cable operator’s Xfinity service. The sudden random appearance of the commercials or fragments of the commercials as plays were being run angered viewers who lit up social networks after the glitch. A Comcast executive told POLITICO that the problem occurred when equipment at WTTG, the FOX station airing the game in Washington, malfunctioned, sending the commercial out at the wrong time. Knowledgeable sources, however, said the problem occurred when a device designed to send commercials only to Xfinity viewers was somehow triggered. The equipment is operated by WTTG but owned by Comcast. No similar glitches were reported on other pay-TV platforms or on the over-the-air signal.

Federal Communications Commission officials said it is unlikely that the commission has any authority over the issue, as it doesn’t regulate content except in the area of broadcast indecency.