Earlier this month, reports emerged of full-screen advertisements appearing as screensavers across LG’s Smart TV’s, including the company’s premium OLED models. It now appears that LG is bringing this “feature” to older models, with FlatpanelsHD confirming that the ads have begun appearing on LG Smart TVs as far back as the 2020 generation.
FlatpanelsHD suspects that “LG’s decision to update webOS is at least partially motivated by introducing ads,” and interestingly, these new full-screen advertisements were not mentioned in notes regarding the latest webOS update.
As a reminder, these ads can currently be toggled off in the ‘Additional Settings’ menu within the ‘System Settings’ menu. However, there is no guarantee that this function will be available in the future, so users who wish to opt out are urged to due sooner rather than later.
The following was originally published October 1, 2024:
The advertisement creep of modern smart TVs continues as those made by LG are now displaying full-screen advertisements before loading a screensaver. FlatPanelsHD found this out firsthand when reviewing the new LG G4, meaning that the screensaver ads are also present in the company’s premium OLED models. In addition to advertisements for LG features, ads for external partners have also been popping up, including some for Ford’s latest cars.
Roku looks into inserting ads whenever your HDMI device idles
After some investigation, FlatPanelsHD found that LG’s Ad Solutions department announced this “feature” at the beginning of the month.
“The launch of our Screensaver Ads has been a significant milestone in enhancing viewer engagement on LG Smart TVs. This full-screen ad format has effectively utilized idle screen time to boost brand visibility,” says Chris Weiland, Director of Product Marketing at LG Ad Solutions in the announcement. “Feedback and study results have validated that these ads capture attention and drive meaningful interactions, making them an integral part of our ad offerings.”
Thankfully, there is a way to turn off these full-screen screensaver ads. You’ll want to toggle ‘Screen Saver Promotion’ to the ‘off’ position in the TV’s settings. This option can be found under the ‘Additional Settings’ section within ‘System Settings.’
