It's already pretty hard to avoid being bombarded with TV ads, whether you're watching Prime Video or pausing YouTube – and LG is now making things a little worse by bringing its pesky screensaver ads to older OLED TV models.
Last month, we reported that recent LG TVs, including premium OLEDs, were sneakily starting to show screensaver ads after sets had been left idle for a while. Some testing on our own LG G4 confirmed that to be the case. Now, FlatpanelsHD is reporting that those ads are rolling out to older models dating back to 2020, too.
If you own LG models like the LG GX OLED (2020), LG B1 OLED (2021) or LG B2 OLED (2022), you could soon see the screensaver ads turned on by default. It seems they're also spreading to more recent models like the LG C4 OLED (2024), which is galling considering we consider it to otherwise be one of the best TVs you can buy.
Currently, the full-screen ads appear to be largely LG-related, promoting LG's own channels. But an article from LG Ad Solutions previously suggested they could eventually be expanded to include third-party ones – and there's evidence on Reddit that this might already be happening. Fortunately, there is a way to turn them off...
How to turn them off
There is currently a simple way to remove the default screensaver ads on your LG TV. Just go to Settings > General > System Settings > Additional Settings, then scroll down to the unsubtly-named Screen Saver Promotion. Toggle this off and you'll be spared any more unsavory promos when your TV is idle.
Hopefully, this option will remain in the menus of LG TVs, because watching actual TV shows is quickly becoming a sideshow to being blasted with ads on many streaming platforms.
Earlier this month, the Financial Times reported that ads on Prime Video would “ramp up a little bit more into 2025” (according to Head of Prime Video International, Kelly Day). That follows the streaming service asking viewers to pay an extra $2.99/£2.99 a month to be spared from ads earlier this year.
But Prime Video and LG are far from alone, with YouTube recently introducing pause screen ads and Roku delivering Instagram-style shoppable ads to smart TVs. Let's just hope the best smart glasses like the Meta Ray-Bans don't start getting similar ideas.
