A lot of football fans were livid about "NFL RedZone" including commercials for the first time this season ... but the program's beloved host, Scott Hanson, tells TMZ Sports he's thankful fans are still loving the product after Week 1.
The commotion was sparked prior to the 2025-26 campaign ... when folks learned "seven hours of commercial-free football" was a thing of the past.
The reality -- a whopping one total minute of ads (four 15-second spots) sprinkled throughout the day of coverage ... proving the product largely remained the same.
Hanson opened up on the whole ordeal this week .