Popular smart TVs force users to play 'autoplay ads,' sparking outrage
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While the service has not yet been officially launched in Japan, Roku , the smart TV manufacturer with the largest market share in the United States, has begun testing a feature on its devices that automatically plays advertisements before the home screen is displayed, causing confusion among users.
“Awful”: Roku tests autoplaying ads loading before the home screen - Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/roku-says-unpopular-autoplay-ads-are-just-a-test/
Roku's new ads are egregious even by smart TV standards
https://www.androidpolice.com/rokus-auto-ads-start-up/
According to IT news site Ars Technica, since around mid-March 2025, there have been a series of reports of video ads being automatically played before the home screen of Roku OS devices is displayed.
For example, on the social news site Reddit, one user reported that when he turned on his Roku, an unskippable movie ad appeared before the normal home screen appeared.
Comments on the post include, 'Same thing happened to me today. If this keeps up I'm going to trash my Roku devices,' and 'Mine was an ad for Moana 2. I've been a big Roku fan but this is it. I might still use Roku but I won't be pushing everyone I know to get one .'
Some users have complained that the video ads are unskippable, but Ars Technica points out that there is a close button.
In response to a request for comment, Roku stated that while autoplay ads are expected behavior, so far they are merely tests for ad functionality and not a permanent feature of Roku OS.
'Our recent test is just the latest example of how we're exploring new ways to showcase our brands and programming while delivering a fun and simple user experience,' a Roku spokesperson said.
Despite Roku's emphasis on its efforts to entertain users, the autoplay ads have been met with disapproval from users, with some posting on the Roku forums as follows: 'I turned on my TV and a video opened on the home screen and a trailer started playing. I hope it was a coincidence. I threw out all my Amazon boxes years ago because of this crap. Roku is next.' Another wrote : 'This is completely unacceptable and if this happens again I will never use or sell a Roku device. I can't believe they thought it was okay to have full screen intrusive ads .'
Advertisements are also starting to appear on platforms other than Roku, such as Google TV, and Android Police, a news site specializing in Google products, commented, 'It's becoming harder to avoid ads on smart TVs, and only a handful, such as Apple TV, are ad-free. If Roku goes all out in forcing ads on its startup screen, Apple TV may become the go-to streaming box for many people.'
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