During your typical NFL game, how long is halftime? How does it compare to the length of halftime in college football games? Let’s take a look.
Average Length of NFL Halftime
In the NFL, the average halftime lasts 12 minutes. For comparison, halftime in college football is 20 minutes, which helps explain why the average NCAA game takes 12 minutes longer than the average NFL game.
Also, halftime is a bit longer during the NFL postseason. In the Super Bowl, the halftime show is significantly longer and a huge draw for fans, so it typically lasts anywhere from 20-to-30 minutes.
How Long is An NFL Game?
The average NFL game reportedly takes three hours and 12 minutes to complete. In contrast, the average length of a college football game is three hours and 24 minutes.
If you’re curious about the average length of the Super Bowl broadcast over the last 20 years, it takes roughly three-and-a-half hours. With more commercial breaks and a lengthy halftime show, it’s no surprise that it’s a bit longer than a typical regular-season game.
Believe it or not, throughout the three-plus hours that you’re watching an NFL game, there is generally just 15-to-20 minutes of live action. The average NFL contest has roughly 18 minutes of actual gameplay, with more than 100 plays jammed into those 18 minutes.
This average has actually increased, as there were just 11 minutes of live action back in 2010, per the Wall Street Journal.
MORE: Simulate the NFL Season With PFN’s Playoff Predictor
How can a 60-minute game that takes three hours to complete have just 18 minutes of actual football? Well, it’s due to the NFL’s rules and clock, with plenty of stoppages, replays, timeouts, commercials, etc.
Of the major sports, football has the least active time. Baseball is the closest at just over 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the NBA, NHL, and English Premier League all have over 45 minutes of live action on average.