For many marketers, the TV screen is the ultimate advertising dream. Unfortunately, more and more TV manufacturers are embracing this idea…
Roku is the latest company to implement pre-roll ads that play when the TV is turned on. While they can still be dismissed with a close button (for now), it’s undeniably annoying. LG has been doing this for a while, and similar practices are becoming increasingly common on other connected devices. Microsoft has also been experimenting with this approach for some time, gradually conditioning its customers for a future where the desktop becomes a billboard. Not only is this highly irritating, but it also raises ethical concerns. After all, consumers pay a significant amount for their TVs or hi-fi streamers—only to be forced to consume advertisements as well.
At Roku, this “feature” is still in a test phase. But it begs the question: where do manufacturers get the audacity to invade your living room and misuse expensive hardware for advertising without consent? A related concern is the collection of user and viewing/listening data, a practice that has been going on for quite some time. In reality, if users agree to such data collection, their devices should arguably be provided for free.