Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

Android TV Users are Seeing Ads after Latest Update

posted by martyb on Friday April 05 2019, @12:57PM   Printer-friendly
from the how-many-are-seeing-red? dept.

NotSanguine writes:

According to Doug Lynch at xda-developers.com:

Android TV owners recently received an update across multiple platforms that have started to display sponsored content with a "Promotional Channels' title in the launcher of the Android TV software. We're currently seeing reports that it has shown up in Sony smart TVs, the Mi Box 3 from Xiaomi, NVIDIA Shield TV, and others. This has been an incredibly off-putting change for a lot of Android TV users. What makes matters worse is people were unable to disable the ads at first, but Reddit user Felisens seems to have figured out how to disable them.

[...] Update: Google's response

A Google spokesperson gave us the following statement:

Android TV is committed to optimizing and personalizing the entertainment experience at home. As we explore new opportunities to engage the user community, we're running a pilot program to surface sponsored content on the Android TV home screen.

Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Android TV Users are Seeing Ads after Latest Update | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 72 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Friday April 05 2019, @05:45PM

    by NotSanguine (285) <{NotSanguine} {at} {SoylentNews.Org}> on Friday April 05 2019, @05:45PM (#825026) Homepage Journal

    According to Wikipedia [wikipedia.org], Android TV is an operating system. And it appears that in this story, Google is asserting ownership of the device by "updating" it to add "features" the vendor didn't sell to the user.

    Apparently, some TV vendors are using the same functionality, but most seem to allow you do disable it. The Google update stops you from doing so.

    According to Ars Technica [arstechnica.com]:

    Sony has tersely worded a support page detailing the "Sponsored channel," too. There's no mention here of it being a pilot program. Sony's page, titled "A sponsored channel has suddenly appeared on my TV Home menu," says, "This change is included in the latest Android TV Launcher app (Home app) update. The purpose is to help you discover new apps and contents for your TV."

    Sony goes on to say, "This channel is managed by Google" and "the Sponsored channel cannot be customized." Sony basically could replace the entire page with a "Deal with it" sunglasses gif, and it would send the same message.

    --
    No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  
    Total Score:   2