Own a Google TV device and are a fan of its 'apps-only' mode that simplifies the smart TV menu? Then you may be about to see more ads where there were none before.
As reported by FlatpanelsHD, there have been reports of Google TV devices in a number of European countries, including Germany, Sweden, Netherlands and more, that have noticed large banner ads appearing in the 'apps-only' view of the home screen – a previously ad-free screen.
Ads, ads, ads
Ads outrage has become a regular feature here at TechRadar, especially in the world of streaming and TVs. in 2024 alone, Roku TV has had plans to introduce video ads to its home screen, Amazon Fire TV has tested full-screen screensaver ads and on the streaming side, the best streaming services have raised prices for ad-free tiers or placed ads into more standard tiers, with Amazon announcing its Prime Video service will feature more ads in movies and TV shows in 2025.
The point is that ads are everywhere. With broadcast TV, we expected them at different intervals throughout TV shows, but I don't think we expected them to feature quite as heavily as they do on devices that we pay for, be that TVs, streaming devices like Amazon Fire Sticks or Roku TV sticks, or streaming services – especially when we'd initially paid not to have them.
The fact that these ads are now on what was once an ad-free section of Google TV shows that ads are here to stay and we're likely to see more of them infiltrating more devices soon. It's just a matter of how intrusive they'll be.
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