According to a press release from LG and a report from FlatpanelsHD, LG has started showing screensaver ads on all of its smart TVs, including its more expensive OLED models, which appear before the regular screensaver starts.
One of FlatpanelsHD’s reviewers discovered third-party ads on top of ads for LG’s own streaming channels. According to LG, the screensaver ads will appear “on your LG Smart TV’s home screen, LG Channels and throughout your content store.” They’re currently on by default, but can be disabled in settings.
LG Advertising Solutions
LG did not advertise this new “feature” to the public, but did promote it on the LG Ad Solutions site. The company said, “Screensaver ads were found to increase brand awareness by an average of 2.5 times, calling into question the assumption that viewer attention is limited when a TV screen is idle.”
While that may be great for advertisers, buyers willing to shell out up to $4,500 for a premium TV may not be so keen: Many TV owners won’t turn off the “soap opera effect” that smooths out their TV, so LG may be assuming viewers won’t open a menu to turn off ads either.
LG already siphons content-aware tracking data from its TVs and passes it on to ratings firm Nielsen to learn about buyers’ viewing habits. Such revenue potential in a business with tight margins led the company to launch the LG Advertising Solutions division earlier this month to find new ways to serve ads and track smart-TV users. Other companies, including Samsung, Roku and TCL, also serve ads in the smart-TV ecosystem.
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