UPDATE: 20th March 2025:
Roku has contacted us to point out that these new startup ads can at least be skipped:
"There is a close button on these ads that will let you immediately exit the ad when it starts", says our contact.
That's better than being forced to watch a whole video advert before being able to access your device, of course, but it doesn't make these intrusive new ads significantly less disappointing.
Our original news story is presented below, unedited.
Autoplaying ads have become more and more commonplace throughout all the technology we use. Streaming services such as Disney+ and Netflix ask you to pay extra to avoid having an ad play after a certain time midway through watching. An increasing number of TV manufacturers are embedding ads into our daily lives, too, with LG arguably highest profile recent offender.
Now, American company Roku appears to be trialling a new feature, with many owners of smart TVs and streaming sticks running Roku OS complaining of having to watch video ads before they can even start using their device (as reported by Ars Technica).
This is not particularly surprising, considering Roku’s CEO told The Verge in 2018 that it planned to make its Roku OS, which is found on TVs and streaming sticks, a “next-generation ad platform.”
It has already included banner ads over live TV and video ads on the home screen, but these new ads, which pop up prior to the home screen even loading, seem to have got under the skin of many customers. Some people comment that they have been able to close the ad but others say they have not had that option.
One user on Reddit dubbed the new edition “pretty disappointing and intrusive,” and Roku's community board is rife with buyers tempted to ditch their devices all together and switch to another brand.
Roku tells Ars Technica that the new ads are ‘expected behaviour but not a permanent part of Roku OS currently.’ Which sounds rather ominous.
We understand that companies have got to turn a profit, but using customers as guinea pigs in their own homes is feeling more dystopian by the minute – and that’s putting aside the generally unpleasant trend towards invasive adverts being inserted into products that customers have already paid full price for.
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