Super Bowl Goes Dark: What Was Behind NBC's Blank Screen?
It wasn’t as calamitous as “The Blackout of 2013,” but it was alarming nonetheless. Midway through the second quarter of Super Bowl 52, NBC’s telecast went dark nationwide for nearly 30 seconds during a commercial break.
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When the picture returned, Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth — the game’s announcers — made no mention of the glitch. Here’s a clip of how it all unfolded:
NBC black screen of Super Bowl ad slot was for 29 seconds. Happened in many markets where local spot was supposed to be inserted. Here’s what it looked like (H/T @ApexMGAnalytics) pic.twitter.com/ItDQzZ5sbt
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 5, 2018
UPDATE: An NBC Sports spokesperson tells TVLine, “We had a brief equipment failure that we quickly resolved. No game action or commercial time were missed.”
Viewers, meanwhile, had plenty to say on social media…
Black screen. Best #superbowl ad yet. pic.twitter.com/KT9NPx8sUt
— Shaggy Matt Culbreath (@ThatShaggyMatt) February 5, 2018
Found out what caused the black screen #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/xS43xRUYp4
— Brian Compton (@BComptonNHL) February 5, 2018
Okay, raise your hand if you thought black screen was a Super Bowl ad?
— ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (@MiltownBucky) February 5, 2018
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