LG Smart TVs Introduce Ads to Screensavers: What This Means for Viewers
All that could soon be different as LG Smart TVs are now flashing ads on your screensaver. While the advent of streaming services and apps had become accustomed to carrying ads, this now appearing on the screensaver happens to raise a concerned response from consumer circles related to ad-ridden passive moments. This move suggests an availability of a novel revenue stream from LG: siphoning off more revenue from screen time when viewers are not exactly looking.
Let’s see what it would mean for viewers with regards to the LG Smart TV, the positives and negatives, and how this would affect the future of advertising through smart TVs.
How Screen Saver Ads on LG Smart TV Work
LG developed screen-saver advertisements, which the TV would display when it was about to go to a screensaver while idle and resting following a view of some peaceful scenes or animation. It would mean that instead of a peaceful scene or animation usually displayed, a commercial could be displayed on products, services, or streaming shows.
Ad Placement: The ads are likely to be played in a not-so-noticeable manner, usually more on the sideline, taking a less percentage of the screen display and playing below the usual screensaver image.
Ads types: The ads might range from movie trailers to the newest apps and services, or retail products and brands. They likely would be tailored, working through user data; that is, the message provided for each viewer would reflect their interests.
This trend represents a new horizon for LG but offers advertisers an exclusive opportunity to reach their audience in a less cluttered space than exists with more commonly digital-advertisement spaces.
Why is LG Adding Ads to Screensavers?
More and more smart TV manufacturers are willing to monetize every possible moment of screen time. An advertising move on its screensavers by LG is just a piece of the general trend. As competition in the production of TV grows, and the price for smart TVs keeps lowering, companies are eager to find all the money they could make outside the traditional sales of products. They can use revenue generation in advertising on screensavers-the early area-left unexplored, where a TV is on but nobody is watching.
Such smart TVs are typically internet-enabled and, hence, can, thus, display targeted, data-driven adverts-just like those people see on social media and other digital websites. Since particular adverts could be displayed, targeted adverts present a much greater chance of engagement with the television screen.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Screen Savers Advertisements
Advantages
One of the advantages of these advertisements is that they could be targeted according to a user’s interests and what he views, thereby making the advertisements not as intrusive yet relevant enough. For example, a viewer of action movies who watches it several times may see advertisements of the newest blockbuster.
LG Revenue: Aside from that, the LG will have more money to generate revenue where the ads may help cover some of the costs in the developments of future products or even make the cost of the TVs lower.
Exposure of New Products and Services: To the consumer, they can have exposure of new shows, apps, or something similar to their interests, which is also a value for discovery purposes.
Disadvantages
Invasive Experience: Many users will find that the running of ads on their screensavers is, in fact, invasive, especially when they want to wind down or have their screens show them something that’s mainly just a passive TV experience. Within such experiences, frustration is likely to result, especially when the ads somehow do not relate or come at rather inconvenient times.
Data Privacy Concerns: Targeted advertisements might involve a usage of viewing habits or data that could lead to delivery of such ads. A transparency issue here will be critical to the LG effort in building trust with its consumer base.
The lack of an opt-out option to screensaver advertising could lead to consumer dissatisfaction if consumers want their smart TVs to be free of advertising. The feature will feel more like a burden than a benefit.
The Future of Smart TV Advertising
Bringing advertising to screensavers is, in fact, a reflection of the trend toward much greater integration of the smart TV experience with advertising. It offers targeted promotional space as companies find new ways to monetize and generate additional income beyond traditional advertising models. Other manufacturers may follow this approach as well, making it not unlikely that all screens will be available to everyone, every screen idle mode, generating advertising revenue.
For advertisers, smart TV screensavers become an interesting opportunity to target consumers in a less crowded space. Since the consumer is not engaged with content at this moment, it is less likely to be skipped, thus potentially increasing engagement rates.
However, the success in this new advertisement model will depend on balance. The advertisers and the producers of television devices such as LG would have to offer some ads that are likely to enhance the users’ experience rather than disturbing the activities of the users. This is because offering choices to enable customization of ad experiences or opt-out may be the future to ensure continued satisfaction from customers.
Conclusion
It’s a bold move by LG to push advertising in its smart TVs- Sure, this will have a big influence in how the smart TVs will play out as an advertising platform. While benefits in such cases can certainly outweigh others when considering personalized content and revenue streams for LG, several questions have driven up regarding intrusiveness and data privacy. Both advertisers and manufacturers need to find a balance and monetize their smart displays without infuriating their audiences.