Roku takes ads to the next level by auto-playing them at startup

Smart TVs and their content platforms promised to be better than cable TV, thanks to their promise of a clean, mostly ad-free user experience. However, most smart TV experiences eventually get littered with ads in the form of content recommendations. We’ve seen ads reach the home screen of TVs, where they become more challenging to avoid. Now, Roku is testing what looks like the next step of unavoidable ads: ads right after startup!

Reddit reports from Roku owners suggest they are getting automatically playing video ads for the recent “Moana 2” movie right when they turn on their Roku device, even before they can reach the Roku home screen. The ads have an option to close them, but some users appear to have not seen the option. Since the ads come up right at startup, there isn’t much you can do to avoid the ad other than letting it play a little and closing it.

A Roku spokesperson confirmed to ArsTechnica that the auto-playing ads at startup are expected behavior as part of a test:

Our recent test is just the latest example, as we explore new ways to showcase brands and programming while still providing a delightful and simple user experience.

Roku didn’t respond to ArsTechnica‘s requests for comment on whether it plans to permanently implement auto-playing ads on Roku OS, which devices are affected, why it decided to use auto-playing ads, or the resultant customer backlash.

Roku users mention that the platform already has persistent ad banners on the home screen, which users have been annoyed about. The auto-playing video ads on startup are pushing many users to reconsider whether they want to stick with the platform. However, given the state of smart TV experiences these days, it is very difficult to avoid ads, as most platforms have some level of “personalized recommendations” that you will have to navigate through.