More and more manufacturers are experimenting with using home screens as free and intrusive advertising boards. Google, Microsoft, Roku, and now Amazon are joining in.The TV as free advertising board arrived.
Windows users are aware that Microsoft sees the computer as the holy grail for advertising. Gradually, ads are popping up in more places within the OS. But the real “goldmine” for many companies is the TV in the living room. Until recently a no-go, manufacturers now see they can take things a step further. After all, consumers can’t escape smart TVs anymore. Or a set-top box stick that provides these functions. And what better place than to show full-screen ads in the living room?
Fire TV Gets Full-Screen Ads
It’s exactly what Google had in mind for its Google TV in November last year. Roku followed suit in April. In November 2023, Amazon jumped on the bandwagon. Many TV manufacturers now shamelessly use your device as an advertising board. The Amazon Fire TV is soon taking it a step further, according to the manufacturer. When you turn on the device, you’ll see a full-screen ad immediately. After that, screensavers are also replaced by similar intrusive ads. There’s no escaping it.
Ads Everywhere
It’s a sad development, as it means you’ve essentially paid for your own billboard. We predict that this push for ads will increasingly spill over to other devices. Think of smart hi-fi systems with large enough screens, (budget) smartphones, smart home devices, smart speakers, and so on. We’re all being slowly prepared for this. Soon, you might find an unremovable Aldi ad on your Windows desktop, Hema ads on your smart TV, and Jumbo ads on your hi-fi system. The TV as free advertising board arrived already.