What you need to know
- Amazon is shifting from full-screen startup ads to static ads before the screensaver on Fire TV.
- These new ads last 30 seconds to a minute and are part of the "Ambient Experience" feature.
- Currently, this seems to be targeting US users with Fire TV models from 2016 onwards.
After easing up on Fire TV full-screen video ads that played when the device starts up, Amazon is now pushing a new ad method using your screensaver.
Cord Cutter News reports that Fire TV devices now show static ads before the screensaver starts. These ads apparently run for 30 seconds to a minute, as per the report.
Amazon has since confirmed to the outlet that it is rolling out this type of advert as part of the "Ambient Experience" feature. At the moment, it appears to be targeting US users with promotional messages on Fire TV models made from 2016 onwards.
However, it's still uncertain how widespread this rollout is. Cord Cutter News is a reliable source, but the lack of widespread user reports hints that the pre-screensaver ad might only be available to a limited audience for now.
Amazon has been ramping up its advertising on the Fire TV platform. This includes adding in-stream ads on Prime Video for non-premium users and briefly using full-screen startup video ads, which were later toned down and made optional.
The new pre-screensaver ads fit into this overall strategy. Here's hoping that Amazon will also provide a way to turn off these ads, although they likely expect many users to keep seeing them.
Amazon's move to add pre-screensaver ads on Fire TV is part of a wider industry trend, with competitors like Roku doing similar things to find new revenue streams.
However, the user experience must stay a top priority. There should be an easy way to turn off these ads since they can be pretty annoying when you're just trying to watch TV.
While ads in free or ad-supported content are nothing new, adding ads to streaming devices like Fire TV after people have bought them can be a bit annoying. Users who have already paid for the device might feel like their experience is being compromised by these new ads.
