Do you own a Google TV device and are you a fan of the ‘apps-only’ mode that simplifies the Smart TV menu? Then you might be about to see more ads that weren’t there before.
If reported by FlatpanelsHDthere have been reports of Google TV devices in a number of European countries, including Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and more, noticing large banner ads appearing in the ‘apps-only’ view of the home screen – a previously ad-free display screen.
It’s worth noting that these banner ads have been in ‘apps-only’ mode for a while in North America, but have now made their way to Google TV devices, including some of the best TVs like the Sony Bravia 8, TCL C855 and Philips OLED809, to devices in Europe.
FlatpanelsHD reports that the introduction of ads actually almost pushes the app icons off the screen in ‘app-only’ mode, despite no hint of recommendations like you’d find in Google TV’s standard home menu.
It’s yet another example of ads invading Google TV, with unskippable ads appearing on Google TV’s free streaming channels in the summer. But it’s not just Google TV that has jumped on the advertising bandwagon.
LG recently introduced screensaver ads on its OLED TVs, like the LG G4, and followed it up weeks later with screensaver ads on older OLED models, like the LG C3. Fortunately, there were ways to disable these ads, but how long will that last?
Ads, ads, ads
Outrage over advertising has become a staple here at Ny Breaking, especially in the world of streaming and TVs. In 2024 alone, Roku TV plans to introduce video ads on the home screen, Amazon Fire TV has tested full-screen screensaver ads, and on the streaming side, the top streaming services have increased prices for ad-free tiers or ads in more standard tiers, with Amazon announcing that its Prime Video service will feature more ads in movies and TV shows by 2025.
The thing is, ads are everywhere. In television broadcasts we expected them at different intervals during TV programs, but I don’t think we expected them to appear rather just as heavily as on devices we pay for, whether they be TVs, streaming devices like Amazon Fire Sticks or Roku TV Sticks, or streaming services – especially if we initially paid not to have them.
The fact that these ads are now on what was once an ad-free section of Google TV shows that ads are here to stay and we’ll likely see more of these ads infiltrating more devices soon. It’s just a matter of how pushy they will be.