EntertainmentStreamingLG Smart TVs just got an upgrade that you might not likeSay hello to a new and potentially unwanted TV feature: pre-screensaver full-screen adsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentStreamingLG Smart TVs just got an upgrade that you might not likeSay hello to a new and potentially unwanted TV feature: pre-screensaver full-screen adsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Say hello to a new and potentially unwanted TV feature: pre-screensaver full-screen ads
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
Quick SummaryLG appears to be rolling out pre-screensaver, full screen adverts to TVs including the range-topping LG G4. The ad platform is being promoted to third parties such as car companies and other big brands.
LG appears to be rolling out pre-screensaver, full screen adverts to TVs including the range-topping LG G4. The ad platform is being promoted to third parties such as car companies and other big brands.
LG appears to be rolling out pre-screensaver, full screen adverts to TVs including the range-topping LG G4. The ad platform is being promoted to third parties such as car companies and other big brands.
LG appears to be rolling out pre-screensaver, full screen adverts to TVs including the range-topping LG G4. The ad platform is being promoted to third parties such as car companies and other big brands.
The news comes fromFlatpanelsHD, which found that while it was reviewing the high-end LG G4 that the TV shows full-screen adverts before the usual screensaver kicks in. Some of the ads were for LG’s own services, such as its free, ad-supported TV service Channels. But LG is also opening TVs up to third-party advertisers such as car companies.
Is any screen going to stay ad-free?
Engadgethas looked into this in more detail and found LG enthusing about the ad spots on itsLG Ad Solutions website. The firm is telling would-be advertisers that “screensaver ads drove on average 2.5 times higher lift in brand awareness… challenging the assumption that that a viewer’s attention is limited once the television screen is idle.”
You can see the appeal to advertisers. But this does seem like yet another customer-hostile change in a marketplace that increasingly sees TV viewers as ad fodder: TV streamers are increasingly keen on pushing us to go for their ad-supported rather than their ad-free tiers, and some free services are so ad-stuffed that they’re effectively unusable without ad blocking or a premium subscription.
But even in that context, this feels like a step too far to me: you’re not being offered ads as a “put up with these and save £££!” deal, as the streamers promise; LG’s simply taking a product you think you own and making it worse. And the tech industry has a tendency to make opt-outs disappear over time, so I’m not optimistic that this feature will remain optional for long. Still, you could always go for a set-top box instead. Just maybe not anAmazonone, as it’s interested instuffing more ads into your TV experiencetoo.
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