Smart bed commercials during the game? Ok, Roku does that. The company is increasingly monetizing users of its cheap Roku media players and Roku TVs.
Next-gen ad platform
Roku was not joking in 2018 when it said that it wanted to turn its TV platform into a "next-generation ad platform". What you see below is an over-the-air live TV broadcast on a Roku TV. The Roku system is automatically injecting a banner ad on top of the picture.
- "Welp, this is the last time I purchase or recommend a Roku. After a Sleep Number commercial, I just got a Roku ad sidebar while watching live TV. Really loved the Roku experience up until now, but this is a deal breaker," Reddit user p3t3or wrote in a post. "I've had this TV for a few years and have never seen this until today."
Roku TV banner ad on top of live TV broadcast. Photo: p3t3or (reddit)
Another user suggested that it has actually been happening for years.
- "I've seen these on and off for the past 3-4 years on TVs with rokus built in. Very annoying," Reddit user michaelfiber wrote. "It seems pretty rare. I work in an office that at one point had 4 TVs with Roku built in. Currently we have 2 Roku TVs. They're on constantly. So I think I'm hyper exposed to it."
A new sidebar with ads that relate to a show or broadcast has also appeared on Roku TVs.
Some users claim that the banner ad can be removed by going to Settings -> Privacy -> Smart TV Experience from where 'Use info from TV inputs' can be disabled. However, disabling this setting will affect other features of a Roku TV.
Also read: Samsung TV owners complain about increasingly obtrusive ads
Roku is the leading connected TV platform in the US, according to surveys. The company's media players and TVs are also some of the most affordable on the market. However, it comes at a cost.
- Source: Reddit
