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LG’s latest range of smart TVs is rolling out full-screen display ads just before the native screensaver is activated in idle mode.
The advertising feature was introduced to new releases, such as the G4 OLED model, earlier this month. It will be replicated across the home screen, content store, and LG channels.
As detailed by FlatpanelsHD, the ads will showcase LG’s own products and third-party services, as selected by the South Korean multinational.
Paid placements, or ‘recommendations,’ have been a familiar addition to smart TV interfaces for several years now, but this introduction of full-screen visuals takes things a step further.
In a press release, an LG spokesman challenged the narrative that a viewer’s attention is much reduced when a screen goes idle.
Dave Rudnick, Chief Technology Officer at LG Ad Solutions, said:
“In the past, a Screensaver ad might have indicated that viewers had left the room, but today’s viewing habits are markedly different. Now, 93% of viewers multitask while watching TV, engaging in activities like messaging, shopping, browsing social media, or playing games on their phones.”
The company claims to have validated that screensaver ads deliver a valuable opportunity for brand exposure on the largest screen in the room.
Viewer Option On Screensaver Ads
When we go to a cinema, we have no other option (except a late entrance) than to watch the ads on the silver screen. Things can and should be different in the comfort of our own homes.
Before turning your set off completely, you can turn off the screensaver ads. In the ‘TV Settings’ menu, choose ‘Additional Settings’ and disable the ‘Screen Saver Promotion’ option.
There are likely to be different arrangements across various regions and smart TV models, but LG has committed to bringing more advertising to its webOS platform, which operates on more than 200 million TVs globally, by the end of 2024.
