LG TVs will now display adverts on the screen when idle, in a move that customers have branded “unacceptable”.
The South Korean tech company has called it a “significant milestone” as it looks to ‘capitalise on people’s downtime’.
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The change, first reported by Flatpanels HD, pins an advert for LG’s own LG Channels service on screens.
In a blog post published in early September, LG’s Ad Solutions branch said the format of screensaver ads “capitalises on idle screen time, turning what may be perceived as a period of downtime into a valuable engagement opportunity”.
The post also suggested that it won’t just be LG-centric ads that appear on your LG TV, but potentially third-party ones in the future.
This even includes LG’s premium OLED screens, which can cost around £2,000/$2,000 apiece.
Gone are the days of an idle TV screensaver indicating that viewers had left the room, according to Dave Rudnick, chief technology officer at LG Ad Solutions.
“Now, 93 per cent of viewers multitask while watching TV, engaging in activities like messaging, shopping, browsing social media, or playing games on their phones,” he said in the post.
“Through testing, we validated that screensaver ads present a valuable opportunity for brands to be front and center on the largest screen in the room.”
Amazon Fire TV users were similarly outraged in November last year when a new update introduced full-screen video ads that play automatically as soon as the telly is turned on.
“This is insane,” one LG customer wrote on social media platform X.
“You pay for a TV and it turns into an ad billboard in your living room. [It] should be unacceptable and LG should take all the flak.”
Another added: “Did someone say TV ads are annoying? Apparently, LG didn’t get the memo.
“Get ready to stream with a side of targeted advertising!”
The change appears to have quietly rolled out to customers in the UK and the US, though it looks to be a phased launch.
How to get rid of the ads
Fortunately, there is a way to turn off screensaver ads on your LG TV.
Simply go to Settings > General > System Settings > Additional Settings and then you should see the menu in the image above.
Navigate to the ‘Screen Saver Promotion’ option and turn it off, so the toggle next to it is no longer green.
Monopolising your eyeballs
Analysis by Millie Turner, Senior Technology and Science Reporter
There is little escaping adverts these days.
That is, unless you become an off-grid hermit and switch off from the tech world completely.
Whether it’s YouTube banning ad-blockers, Netflix and Disney+ introducing ads to their cheapest subscriptions, or Amazon Fire TV adverts growing in size, there’s always a Big Tech company trying to monopolise your eyeballs.
Ads appearing on smart TVs as part of new software updates are becoming increasingly common.
TVs are not devices that are replaced often, so instead of trying to sell the gadgets to uninterested buyers, companies like LG, Samsung, Roku, and Vizio are seeking recurring revenue from already-sold TVs.
And this comes in the form of targeted ad sales.
Any company introducing more ads is going to be met with a giant “huff” from its customer base.
But I don’t think it’s the ads themselves that frustrate customers most.
Many of us have grown immune to digital advertisements after decades of watching companies jump and wave for our attention.
It’s their retroactive introduction that leaves the sour taste in consumers mouths.