LG has Found an Ingenious Way to Push TV Ads Down Your Throat
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Seeing ads on your smartphones and televisions you have not subscribed to is very common these days. This usually happens with cheap products, which is a way for manufacturers to regenerate more revenue or recoup the low margin from the hardware front. However, it appears that even premium smart TVs are not immune to ads.
- Also read: Apple TV compared
A high-end now comes with first-party ads
As discovered by FlatPanelsHD which is testing the new $2,400 LG G4 OLED TV, the pricey new television is showing full-screen screensaver ads. The commercial, which runs several minutes, presents LG channels and is played before the screensaver.
Although it's not really surprising to see this given it is normal for some companies like Amazon to show first-party promotions on their devices, it was already confirmed by LG's advertising arm that this format would support third-party products and services in the future. This means that many LG smart TVs, even the dated models could soon display these screensaver ads.
LG even touted how effective and engaging this type of ad format is. In a press release statement, LG's Ad Solution director, Chris Weiland, said that "full-screen ad format has effectively utilized idle screen time to boost brand visibility." It was also mentioned this could also come to other form factors apart from TVs and streaming devices. So, what we can make from this?
This is presumably only the beginning and more companies should follow LG's approach in the foreseeable future. Now, it's unclear what will be the reaction of consumers to this setup of premium TVs getting ads.
You'll get ads, but you can opt out (for now)
Recently, the trend of displaying ads on devices like smartphones and streaming boxes has been debated, with some users feeling this format is intrusive and undermines user experience. To address this, some companies have made ads optional while others will only show ads when you're accessing free content.
As for LG here, it is giving users to disable the new screensaver ads on its TV lineup from the settings then turning off Screen Saver Promotions. However, we don't know how long until LG will make it optional.
What are your thoughts about seeing ads on premium devices? Do you think it spoils the experience? Our comment section is open.
Via: Android Authority Source: FlatPanelsHD
