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Peacock showing ads upon launch opens the door for more disruptive streaming ads

ads, nbcuniversal, peacock, streaming, Tech / Kris Guyer / December 18, 2025

Peacock subscribers will see ads immediately upon opening the streaming app or website next year. It’s a bold new strategy for attracting advertisers—something that’s been increasingly important to subscription-based streaming services—but it also risks alienating viewers

As reported by Variety, the new type of ads will display on the profile selection page that shows when a subscriber launches Peacock. Starting next year, instead of the profile page just showing your different Peacock profiles, most of the page will be dominated by an advertorial image. The circles of NBCUniversal-owned characters selected for user profiles will be relegated to a vertical column on the screen’s left side, as you can see here.

To avoid seeing what NBCUniversal is calling “Arrival Ads” every time you open Peacock, you need to subscribe to Peacock’s most expensive plan, which is ad-free and starts at $17 per month (Peacock’s ad-based plans start at $8/month.)

NBCUniversal’s announcement claims that Peacock will be the first streaming service to implement this type of ad. But that may not be the brag the entertainment giant thinks it is, as subscribers may quickly find the startup ads disruptive.

Peacock isn’t making money

Over the past couple of years, it’s become increasingly important for streaming services to generate revenue beyond subscription fees. Peacock and many other streaming services have struggled with profitability after spending years focusing on pricey content production and licensing to attract subscribers.

For its part, Peacock has 41 million subscribers and isn’t profitable. In its most recent quarterly earnings report, shared in October, NBCUniversal parent company Comcast reported that the service lost $217 million in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, compared to losing $436 million in the same quarter in 2024. At the same time, Peacock has struggled to grow viewership and has had the same number of subscribers since Q1 2025. In Q1 2024, Peacock had 31 million subscribers.

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How to break free from smart TV ads and tracking

ads, Features, streaming, Tech, TVs / Mike M. / December 13, 2025

The Ars guide to “dumb” TVs

Sick of smart TVs? Here are your best options.

Credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images

Smart TVs can feel like a dumb choice if you’re looking for privacy, reliability, and simplicity.

Today’s TVs and streaming sticks are usually loaded up with advertisements and user tracking, making offline TVs seem very attractive. But ever since smart TV operating systems began making money, “dumb” TVs have been hard to find.

In response, we created this non-smart TV guide that includes much more than dumb TVs. Since non-smart TVs are so rare, this guide also breaks down additional ways to watch TV and movies online and locally without dealing with smart TVs’ evolution toward software-centric features and snooping. We’ll discuss a range of options suitable for various budgets, different experience levels, and different rooms in your home.

Table of Contents

Our best recommendation

This is a dumb TV guide, but first, let’s briefly highlight the best recommendation for most people: Take your TV offline and plug in an Apple TV box.

The Apple TV 4K and Siri Remote. — Your best option. Credit: Jeff Dunn

An Apple TV lets you replace smart TV software with Apple’s cleaner tvOS, and it’s more intuitive than using most smart TVs and other streaming devices. Apple’s tvOS usually runs faster and more reliably, and it isn’t riddled with distracting ads or recommendations. And there’s virtually no learning curve for family members or visitors, something that can’t always be said for DIY alternatives.

Critically, Apple TV boxes are also an easy recommendation on the privacy front. The setup process makes it simple for anyone to ensure that the device is using relatively minimal user tracking. You’re likely to use an Apple TV box with the Apple TV app or with an Apple account, which means sending some data to Apple. But Apple has a better reputation for keeping user information in-house, and Apple TV boxes don’t have automatic content recognition (ACR).

For more information, read my previous article on why Apple TVs are privacy advocates’ go-to streaming device.

Differing from other smart TV alternatives in this guide (such as a laptop), you don’t have to worry about various streaming services’ requirements for streaming in 4K or HDR with an Apple TV. But you still have to make sure your display and HDMI cable are HDCP 2.2-compliant and that you’re using HDMI 2.0 or better if you want to watch 4K or HDR content. You could even connect network-attached storage (NAS) to your Apple TV box so you can stream files from the storage device.

Plus, using a smart TV offline means you’ll have access to the latest and greatest display technologies, which is generally not the case for dumb TVs.

Things to keep in mind

One common concern about using smart TVs offline is the fear that the TV will repeatedly nag you to connect to the Internet. I’ve seen some reports of this happening over the years, but generally speaking, this doesn’t seem to be expected behavior. If you can’t find a way to disable TV notifications, try contacting support.

You may want your offline TV to keep LAN access so you can still use some smart TV features, like phone mirroring or streaming from a NAS. In this case, you can use your router (if supported) to block your TV’s IP address from connecting to the Internet.

And Google TV users should remember to set their TV to “basic TV” mode, which lets you use the TV without connecting to the Internet.

Dumb TVs are endangered

Buying a TV that doesn’t connect to the Internet is an obvious solution to avoiding smart TV tracking and ads, but that’s much easier said than done.

Smart TV OSes help TV-makers stay afloat in an industry with thin margins on hardware. Not only do they provide ad space, but they also give OS operators and their partners information on how people use their TVs—data that is extremely valuable to advertisers. Additionally, mainstream acceptance of the Internet of Things has led many people to expect their TVs to have integrated Wi-Fi. These factors have all made finding a dumb TV difficult, especially in the US.

Dumb TVs sold today have serious image and sound quality tradeoffs, simply because companies don’t make dumb versions of their high-end models. On the image side, you can expect lower resolutions, sizes, and brightness levels and poorer viewing angles. You also won’t find premium panel technologies like OLED. If you want premium image quality or sound, you’re better off using a smart TV offline. Dumb TVs also usually have shorter (one-year) warranties.

Any display or system you end up using needs HDCP 2.2 compliance to play 4K or HDR content via a streaming service or any other DRM-protected 4K or HDR media, like a Blu-ray disc.

Best ways to find a dumb TV

Below are the brands I’ve identified as most likely to have dumb TVs available for purchase online as of this writing.

Emerson

I was able to find the greatest number of non-smart TVs from Emerson. Emerson is a Parsippany, New Jersey, electronics company that was founded in 1948.

As of this writing, Emerson’s dumb TV options range from 7-inch portable models to 50-inch 4K TVs. Its TVs are relatively easy to get since they’re sold directly and through various online retailers, including Amazon, Home Depot, Best Buy, and, for some reason, Shein.

Westinghouse

Another company still pushing non-smart TVs is Westinghouse, a Pittsburgh-headquartered company founded in 1886. In addition to other types of electronics and home goods, Westinghouse also has an industrial business that includes nuclear fuel.

Westinghouse’s dumb TVs max out at 32 inches and 720p resolution, but some of them also have a built-in DVD player. You can find Westinghouse’s dumb TVs on Amazon. However, Westinghouse seems to have the most dubious reputation of these brands based on online chatter.

Sceptre

Sceptre, a Walmart brand, still has a handful of dumb TVs available. I’ve noticed inventory dwindle in recent months, but Walmart usually has at least one Sceptre dumb TV available.

Amazon search

Outside the above brands, your best bet for finding a non-smart TV is Amazon. I’ve had success searching for “dumb TVs” and have found additional results by searching for a “non-smart TV.”

Projectors

For now, it’s not hard to find a projector that doesn’t connect to the Internet or track user activity. And there are options that are HDCP 2.2-compliant so you can project in 4K and HDR.

Things to keep in mind

Projectors aren’t for everyone. They still require dim rooms and a decent amount of physical space to produce the best image. (To see how much space you need for a projector, I recommend RTINGS’ handy throw calculator.)

The smart-tech bug has come for projectors, too, though, and we’ve started seeing more smart projectors released over the past two years.

Computer monitors

If you want a dumb display for watching TV, it’s cheaper to buy a smart TV and keep it offline than it is to get a similarly specced computer monitor. But there are benefits to using a monitor instead of a dumb TV or an offline smart TV. (Of course, this logic doesn’t carry over to “smart monitors.”)

When it comes to smaller screens, you’ll have more options if you look at monitors instead of TVs. This is especially true if you want premium features, like high refresh rates or quality speakers, which are hard to find among TVs that are under 42 inches.

Monitor vendors are typically more forthcoming about product specs than TV makers are. It’s hard to find manufacturer claims about a TV’s color gamut, color accuracy, or typical brightness, but a computer monitor’s product page usually has all this information. It’s also easier to find a monitor with professional-grade color accuracy than a TV with the same, and some monitors have integrated calibration tools.

Things to keep in mind

Newer and advanced types of display technologies are rarer in monitors. This includes OLED, Mini LED, and Micro RGB. And if you buy a new monitor, you’ll probably need to supply your own speakers.

A computer monitor isn’t a TV, so there’s no TV tuner or way to use an antenna. If you really wanted to, you could get a cable box to work with a monitor with the right ports or adapters. People are streaming more than they’re watching broadcast and cable channels, though, so you may not mind the lack of traditional TV capabilities.

Digital signage

Digital signage displays are purpose-built for displaying corporate messages, often for all or most hours of the day. They typically have features that people don’t need for TV watching, such as content management software. And due to their durability and warranty needs, digital signage displays are often more expensive than similarly specced computer monitors.

Again, it’s important to ensure that the digital signage is HDCP 2.2-compliant if you plan to watch 4K or HDR.

Things to keep in mind

But if you happen to come across a digital signage display that’s the right size and the right price, is there any real reason why you shouldn’t use it as a TV? I asked Panasonic, which makes digital signage. A spokesperson from Panasonic Connect North America told me that digital signage displays are made to be on for 16 to 24 hours per day and with high brightness levels to accommodate “retail and public environments.”

The spokesperson added:

Their rugged construction and heat management systems make them ideal for demanding commercial use, but these same features can result in higher energy consumption, louder operation, and limited compatibility with home entertainment systems.

Panasonic’s representative also pointed out that real TVs offer consumer-friendly features for watching TV, like “home-optimized picture tuning, simplified audio integration, and user-friendly menu interfaces.”

If you’re fine with these caveats, though, and digital signage is your easiest option, there isn’t anything stopping you from using one to avoid smart TVs.

What to connect to your dumb TV

After you’ve settled on an offline display, you’ll need something to give it life. Below is a breakdown of the best things to plug into your dumb TV (or dumb display) so you can watch TV without your TV watching you.

Things to keep in mind

If you’re considering using an older device for TV, like a used laptop, make sure it’s HDCP 2.2-compliant if you want to watch 4K or HDR.

And although old systems and displays and single-board computers can make great dumb TV alternatives, remember that these devices need HDMI 2.0 or DisplayPort 1.2 or newer to support 4K at 60 Hz.

What to connect: a Phone

Before we get into more complex options for powering your dumb TV, let’s start with devices you may already own.

It’s possible to connect your phone to a dumb display, but doing so is harder than connecting a PC. You’d need an adapter, such as a USB-C (or Lightning) Digital AV Adapter.

You can use a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard to control the phone from afar. By activating Assistive Touch, I’ve even been able to use my iPhone with a mouse that claims not to support iOS. With an extra-long cable, you could potentially control the phone from your lap. That’s not the cleanest setup, though, and it would look odd in a family room.

Things to keep in mind

If your phone is outputting to your display, you can’t use it to check your email, read articles, or doomscroll while you watch TV. You can fix this by using a secondary phone as your streaming device.

If you’re using a phone to watch a streaming service, there’s a good chance you won’t be watching in 4K, even if your streaming subscription supports it. Netflix, for example, limits resolution to 1080p or less (depending on the model) for iPhones. HDR is supported across iPhone models but not with Android devices.

Screen mirroring doesn’t always work well with streaming services and phones. Netflix, for instance, doesn’t support AirPlay or Android phone casting. Disney+ supports Chromecast and AirPlay, but AirPlay won’t work if you subscribe to Disney+ with ads (due to “technical reasons”).

What to connect: A laptop

A laptop is an excellent smart TV alternative that’s highly customizable yet simple to deploy.

Most mainstream streaming providers that have dedicated smart TV apps, like Netflix and HBO Max, have PC versions of their apps. And most of those services are also available via web browsers, which work much better on computers than they do on smart TVs. You can also access local files—all via a user interface that you and anyone else watching TV is probably familiar with already.

With a tethered laptop, you can quickly set up a multi-picture view for watching two games or shows simultaneously. Multi-view support on streaming apps is extremely limited right now, with only Peacock and dedicated sports apps like ESPN and MLB TV offering it.

A laptop also lets you use your dumb TV for common PC tasks, like PC gaming or using productivity software (sometimes you just want to see that spreadsheet on a bigger screen).

Things to keep in mind

Streaming in 4K or HDR sometimes comes with specific requirements that are easy to overlook. Some streaming services, for example, won’t stream in 4K on certain web browsers—or with any web browser at all.

Streaming services sometimes have GPU requirements for 4K and HDR streaming. For example, to stream Netflix in 4K or HDR from a browser, you need Microsoft Edge and an Intel 7th Generation Core or AMD Ryzen CPU or better, plus the latest graphics drivers. Disney+ doesn’t allow 4K HDR streaming from any web browsers. Streaming 4K content in a web browser might also require you to acquire the HEVC/H.265 codec, depending on your system.

If 4K or HDR streaming is critical to you, it’s important to check your streaming providers’ 4K and HDR limits; it may be best to rely on a dedicated app.

If you want to be able to comfortably control your computer from a couch, you’ll also need to invest in some hardware or software. You can get away with a basic Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Air mice are another popular solution.

The WeChip W1 air mouse. Credit: WeChip/Amazon

If you don’t want extra gadgets taking up space, software like the popular Unified Remote (for iOS and Android) can turn your phone into a remote control for your computer. It also supports Wake-On-LAN.

You may encounter hiccups with streaming availability. Most streaming services available on smart TVs are also accessible via computers, but some aren’t. Many FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) services and channels, such as the Samsung TV Plus service and Filmrise FAST app and channel, are only available via smart TVs. And many streaming services’ apps, including Netflix and Disney+, aren’t available on macOS. If you’re using a very old computer, you might run into compatibility issues with streaming services. Netflix’s PC app, for example, requires Windows 10 or newer, and if you stream Netflix via a browser on a system running an older OS, you’re limited to SD resolution.

And while a laptop and dumb display setup can keep snooping TVs out of your home, there are obviously lots of user tracking and privacy concerns with web browsers, too. You can alleviate some concerns by researching the browsers you want to use for watching TV.

What to connect: A home theater PC

For a more permanent setup, consider a dedicated home theater PC (HTPC). They don’t require beefy, expensive specs and are more flexible than smart TV platforms in terms of software support and customization.

You can pick a system that fits on your living room console table, like a mini PC, or match your home’s aesthetics with a custom build. Raspberry Pis are a diminutive solution that you can dress up in a case and use for various additional tasks, like streaming games from your gaming PC to your TV or creating an AirPlay music server for streaming Spotify and other online music and local music to AirPlay-compatible speakers.

The right accessories can take an HTPC to the next level. You can use an app like TeamViewer or the more TV-remote-like Unified Remote to control your PC with your phone. But investing in dedicated hardware is worthwhile for long-term and multi-person use. Bluetooth keyboards and mice last a long time without needing a charge and can even be combined into one device.

K400 Plus Wireless Touch Keyboard — Logitech’s wireless K400 combines a keyboard with a touchpad. Credit: Logitech

Other popular options for HTPC control are air remotes and the Flirc USB, which plugs into a computer’s USB-A port to enable IR remote control. Speaking of USB ports, you could use them to connect a Blu-ray/DVD player or gaming controller to your HTPC. If you want to add support for live TV, you can still find PCIe over-the-air (OTA) tuner cards.

Helpful software for home theater PCs

With the right software, an HTPC can be more useful to a household than a smart TV. You probably already have some apps in mind for your ideal HTPC. That makes this a fitting time to discuss some solid software that you may not have initially considered or that would be helpful to recommend to other cord cutters.

If you have a lot of media files you’d like to easily navigate through on your HTPC, media server software, such as Plex Media Server, is a lifesaver. Plex specifically has an app streamlined for HTPC use. The company has taken some criticism recently due to changes like new remote access rules, higher prices, and a foray into movie rentals. Although Plex is probably the most common and simplest media server software, alternatives like Jellyfin have been gaining popularity lately and are worth checking out.

Whichever media server software you use, consider pairing it with a dedicated NAS. NAS media servers are especially helpful if you want to let people, including those outside of your household, watch stuff from your media library at any time and without having to keep a high-power system turned on 24/7.

You can stream files from your NAS to a dumb TV by setting up a streaming system—such as a Raspberry Pi, Nvidia Shield, or Apple TV box—that connects to the dumb display. That device can then stream video from the NAS by using Network File System or the Infuse app, for example.

What to connect: An antenna

Nowadays, you can watch traditional, live TV channels over the Internet through over-the-top streaming services like YouTube TV and Sling TV. But don’t underestimate the power of TV antennas, which have improved in recent years and let you watch stuff for free.

This year, Horowitz Research surveyed 2,200 US adults and found that 19 percent of respondents were still using a TV antenna.

If you haven’t checked them out in a while, you might be surprised by how sleek bunny ears look now. Many of the best TV antennas now have flat, square shapes and can be mounted to your wall or windowsill.

Mohu's Leaf antenna. — Mohu’s Leaf antenna. Bye, bye, bunny ears. Credit: Mohu

The best part is that companies can’t track what you watch with an antenna. As Nielsen said in a January 2024 blog post:

Big data sources alone can’t provide insight into the viewing behaviors of the millions of viewers who watch TV using a digital antenna.

Antennas have also gotten more versatile. For example, in addition to local stations, an antenna can provide access to dozens of digital subchannels. They’re similar to the free ad-supported television channels gaining popularity with smart TVs users today, in that they often show niche programming or a steady stream of old shows and movies with commercial breaks. You can find a list of channels you’re likely to get with an antenna via this website from the Federal Communications Commission.

TV and movies watched through an antenna are likely to be less compressed than what you get with cable, which means you can get excellent image quality with the right setup.

You can also add DVR capabilities, like record and pause, to live broadcasts through hardware, such as a Tablo OTA DVR device or Plex DVR, a subscription service that lets antenna users add broadcast TV recordings to their Plex media servers.

A diagram of the 4th Gen Tablo's ports. — A diagram of the 4th Gen Tablo’s ports. Credit: Tablo

Things to keep in mind

You’re unlikely to get 4K or HDR broadcasts with an antenna. ATSC 3.0, also known as Next Gen TV, enables stations to broadcast in 4K HDR but has been rolling out slowly. Legislation recently proposed by the FCC could further slow things.

In order to watch a 4K or HDR broadcast, you’ll also need an ATSC 3.0 tuner or an ATSC 3.0-equipped TV. The latter is rare. LG, for example, dropped support in 2023 over a patent dispute. You can find a list of ATSC 3.0-certified TVs and converters here.

Realistically, an antenna doesn’t have enough channels to provide sufficient entertainment for many modern households. Sixty percent of antenna owners also subscribe to some sort of streaming service, according to Nielsen.

Further, obstructions like tall buildings and power lines could hurt an antenna’s performance. Another challenge is getting support for multiple TVs in your home. If you want OTA TV in multiple rooms, you either need to buy multiple antennas or set up a way to split the signal (such as by using an old coaxial cable and splitter, running a new coaxial cable, or using an OTA DVR, such as a Tablo or SiliconDust’s HDHomeRun).

Scharon is a Senior Technology Reporter at Ars Technica writing news, reviews, and analysis on consumer gadgets and services. She’s been reporting on technology for over 10 years, with bylines at Tom’s Hardware, Channelnomics, and CRN UK.

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Apple TV execs dismiss introducing an ad tier, buying Warner Bros. Discovery

ads, Apple, Apple TV, streaming, Tech / Kris Guyer / November 10, 2025

Focused on original content

Another obvious way to grow Apple TV is through more subscribers. With talk of Warner Bros. Discovery considering a sale, it’s worth wondering if Apple TV may try to grow through acquisition. But the execs Screen International spoke with seemed focused on building out Apple TV’s library with originals. Cue noted that “at least in the timeframe that we’re thinking about right now, we’re not looking at licensing any content or adding anything to our service.”

“We’re building an all-original services; we’re not building on the back of pre-existing IP or library,” Jamie Erlicht, one of Apple’s heads of worldwide video, said.

More directly, when asked if Apple might buy Warner Bros., A24, or Disney, Cue pointed out that Apple hasn’t historically done “a lot of major acquisitions.”

“We do very small acquisitions in general, not related to Apple TV, so I don’t see that happening because we like what we’re doing,” Cue said.

Since its 2019 debut, some have questioned whether Apple TV is an authentic attempt to improve streaming options for customers, or if Apple TV is a “vanity project,” as Screen International put it, or if the service is merely a tool for getting people to buy other Apple products. Naturally, the interviewed executives claimed that the service is built on a commitment to distributing unique and premium shows and movies.

The interview provided more insight into how Apple TV leadership defines the latter. Zack Van Amburg, one of Apple’s heads of worldwide video, said:

A core tenet of everything Apple does is the notion that humanity needs to be at the center of it, and that’s everything from app design to hardware engineering, to everything in between. We try to think a little more deeply about that.

Our shows and our movies tend to be about the emotional experience, the stakes involved, even when we’re doing a comedy.

Apple TV execs dismiss introducing an ad tier, buying Warner Bros. Discovery Read More »

Samsung makes ads on $3,499 smart fridges official with upcoming software update

ads, samsung, Smart Home, Tech / Paul Patrick / October 28, 2025

After kicking off an unpopular pilot test last month, Samsung made the practice of having its expensive smart fridges display ads official this week.

The ads will be shown on Samsung’s 2024 Family Hub smart fridges. As of this writing, Samsung’s Family Hub fridges have MSRPs ranging from $1,899 to $3,499. The ads will arrive through a software update that Samsung will start issuing this month and display on the fridge’s integrated 21.5- or 32-inch (depending on the model) screen. The ads will show when the fridges are idle and display what Samsung calls Cover Screens.

As part of the Family Hub software update, we are piloting a new widget for select Cover Screens themes of Family Hub refrigerators. The widget will display useful day-to-day information such as news, calendar and weather forecasts, along with curated advertisements.

Samsung also said that its fridges will only show contextualized ads, instead of personalized ads, which rely on collecting data on users.

The Verge reported that the widget will appear as a rectangular box at the bottom of the screens. The box will change what it displays “every 10 seconds,” the publication said.

The software update will also introduce “a Daily Board theme that offers a new way to see useful information at a glance,” Samsung said. The Verge reported that this feature will also include ads, something that Samsung’s announcement neglected to state. The Daily Board theme will show five tiles with information such as appointments and the weather, and one with ads.

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DirecTV screensavers will show AI-generated ads with your face in 2026

ads, AI, DIRECTV, generative ai, satellite, streaming, Tech / Tim Belzer / October 14, 2025

According to a March blog post from Glance’s VP of AI, Ian Anderson, Glance’s avatars “analyze customer behavior, preferences, and browsing history to provide tailor-made product recommendations, enhancing engagement and conversion rates.”

In a statement today, Naveen Tewari, Glance’s CEO and founder, said the screensavers will allow people to “instantly select a brand and reimagine themselves in the brand catalog right from their living-room TV itself.”

The DirecTV screensavers will also allow people to make 30-second-long AI-generated videos featuring their avatar, The Verge reported.

In addition to providing an “AI-commerce experience,” DirecTV expects the screensavers to help with “content discovery” and “personalization,” Vikash Sharm, SVP of product marketing at DirecTV, said in a statement.

The screensavers will also be able to show real-time weather and sports scores, Glance said.

A natural progression

Turning to ad-centric screensavers may frustrate customers who didn’t expect ads when they bought into Gemini devices for their streaming capabilities.

However, DirecTV has an expanding advertising business that has included experimenting with ad types, such as ads that show when people hit pause. As far as offensive ads go, screensaver ads can be considered less intrusive, since they typically show only when someone isn’t actively viewing their TV. Gemini screensavers can also be disabled.

It has become increasingly important for DirecTV to diversify revenue beyond satellite and Internet subscriptions. DirecTV had over 20 million subscribers in 2015; in 2024, streaming business publication Next TV, citing an anonymous source “close to the company,” reported that the AT&T-owned firm was down to about 11 million subscribers.

Simultaneously, the streaming industry—including streaming services and streaming software—has been increasingly relying on advertising to boost revenue. For some streaming service providers, increasing revenue through ads is starting to eclipse the pressure to do so through subscriber counts. Considering DirecTV’s declining viewership and growing interest in streaming, finding more ways to sell ads seems like a natural progression.

With legacy pay TV providers already dealing with dwindling subscriptions, introducing new types of ads risks making DirecTV less appealing as well.

And it’s likely that things won’t end there.

“This, we can integrate across different places within the television,” Glance COO Mansi Jain told The Verge. “We are starting with the screensaver, but tomorrow… we can integrate it in the launcher of the TV.”

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People regret buying Amazon smart displays after being bombarded with ads

ads, Amazon, amazon alexa, smart displays, Smart Home, Tech / Kris Guyer / October 10, 2025

Amazon Echo Show owners are reporting an uptick in advertisements on their smart displays.

The company’s Echo Show smart displays have previously shown ads through the company’s Shopping Lists feature, as well as advertising for Alexa skills. Additionally, Echo Shows may play audio ads when users listen to Amazon Music on Alexa.

However, reports on Reddit (examples here, here, and here) and from The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, who owns more than one Echo Show, suggest that Amazon has increased the amount of ads it shows on its smart displays’ home screens. The Echo Show’s apparent increase in ads is pushing people to stop using or even return their Echo Shows.

The smart displays have also started showing ads for Alexa+, the new generative AI version of Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. Ads for the subscription-based Alexa+ are reportedly taking over Echo Show screens, even though the service is still in Early Access.

“This is getting ridiculous and I’m about to just toss the whole thing and move back to Google,” one Redditor said of the “full-volume” ads for Alexa+ on their Echo Show.

The Verge’s Tuohy reported seeing ads on one (but not all) of her Echo Shows for the first time this week and said ads sometimes show when the display is set to show personal photos. She reported seeing ads for “elderberry herbal supplements, Quest sports chips, and tabletop picture frames.”

Users are unable to disable the home screen ads. When reached for comment, an Amazon spokesperson told Ars Technica:

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Software update shoves ads onto Samsung’s pricey fridges

ads, samsung, Smart Home, Tech / Kris Guyer / September 18, 2025

A picture that the Redditor posted shows a message purportedly displayed on a Samsung fridge informing owners of the ads, reading: “To enhance our service and offer additional content to users, advertisements will be displayed on the Cover Screen for the Weather, Color, and Daily Board Themes.”

The notice shown on Samsung fridges. — A Reddit user shared this notice shown on Samsung fridges. Credit: angrycatmeowmeow/Reddit

Samsung recently downplayed the idea of using smart appliances’ screens for ads. While speaking with The Verge in April, Jeong Seung Moon, EVP and head of the R&D team for Samsung Electronics’ Digital Appliances Business, said Samsung had “no plans regarding the inclusion of advertisements on AI Home screens.”

Technically, the pilot program is running on fridges’ larger “Cover Screens,” not “AI Home Screens,” which are smaller (7 -or 9-inch) touchscreens that Samsung introduced to appliances in late 2024. But it still feels like Samsung missed numerous opportunities to manage expectations with its rollout of ads on Samsung products.

You can see the smaller AI Home Screens on these Samsung appliances. Credit: Samsung

Despite this, some may have been tipped off to Samsung’s potential shift to ads from the company’s growing obsession with putting screens on products that are usually controllable with more repairable, affordable, and simpler solutions, like buttons and dials. But there are still bound to be people upset to see their fridge updated to display commercial messaging where their family eats and cooks.

Another reason to leave appliances offline

Based on Samsung’s statement, users can prevent ads from showing on their smart fridges by having the screen show photos or art. However, that limits the ways people can use their expensive fridge.

Another option is to disconnect the fridge from the Internet. Again, though, this would eliminate some core capabilities, like its meal planner, recipes, and shopping list features.

On the other hand, some Samsung fridge owners may not even notice the update, considering that vendors have struggled to get people to connect home appliances to the Internet. Less than half of the smart appliances that LG had sold were online in 2023, for example.

Smart appliance makers that would like to access the valuable user data and ad revenue that are available when people connect their appliances to the web battle privacy concerns, indifference, and technical limitations. Samsung’s reminder to everyone about how easy it is for tech companies to turn people’s smart appliances into billboards is another deterrent.

But with expensive and large electronics purchases happening infrequently for most households, many tech companies are increasingly relying on ads for recurring revenue. It’s very unlikely that Samsung’s pilot program will be the last we hear of the sudden appearance of ads on smart home devices.

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Amazon is considering shoving ads into Alexa+ conversations

ads, AI, Amazon, amazon alexa, generative ai, Tech / Mike M. / August 1, 2025

Since 2023, Amazon has been framing Alexa+ as a monumental evolution of Amazon’s voice assistant that will make it more conversational, capable, and, for Amazon, lucrative. Amazon said in a press release on Thursday that it has given early access of the generative AI voice assistant to “millions” of people. The product isn’t publicly available yet, and some advertised features are still unavailable, but Amazon’s CEO is already considering loading the chatbot up with ads.

During an investors call yesterday, as reported by TechCrunch, Andy Jassy noted that Alexa+ started rolling out as early access to some customers in the US and that a broader rollout, including internationally, should happen later this year. An analyst on the call asked Amazon executives about Alexa+’s potential for “increasing engagement” long term.

Per a transcript of the call, Jassy responded by saying, in part:

I think over time, there will be opportunities, you know, as people are engaging in more multi-turn conversations to have advertising play a role to help people find discovery and also as a lever to drive revenue.

Like other voice assistants, Alexa has yet to monetize users. Amazon is hoping to finally make money off the service through Alexa+, which is eventually slated to play a bigger role in e-commerce, including by booking restaurant reservations, keeping track of and ordering groceries, and recommending streaming content based on stated interests. But with Alexa reportedly costing Amazon $25 billion across four years, Amazon is eyeing additional routes to profitability.

Echo Show devices already show ads, and Echo speaker users may hear ads when listening to music. Advertisers have shown interest in advertising with Alexa+, but the inclusion of ads in a new offering like Alexa+ could drive people away.

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Dictionary.com “devastated” paid users by abruptly deleting saved words lists

ads, Apps, Tech / Tim Belzer / July 18, 2025

Logophiles are “devastated” after Dictionary.com deleted their logs of favorited words that they carefully crafted for years. The company deleted all accounts, as well as the only ways to use Dictionary.com without seeing ads —even if you previously paid for an ad-free experience.

Dictionary.com offers a free dictionary through its website and free Android and iOS apps. It used to offer paid-for mobile apps, called Dictionary.com Pro, that let users set up accounts, use the app without ads, and enabled other features (like grammar tips and science and rhyming dictionaries) that are gone now. Dictionary.com’s premium apps also let people download an offline dictionary (its free apps used to let you buy a downloadable dictionary as a one-time purchase), but offline the dictionaries aren’t available anymore.

Accounts axed abruptly

About a year ago, claims of Dictionary.com’s apps being buggy surfaced online. We also found at least one person claiming that they were unable to buy an ad-free upgrade at that time.

Reports of Dictionary.com accounts being deleted and the apps not working as expected, and with much of its content removed, started appearing online about two months ago. Users reported being unable to log in and access premium features, like saved words. Soon after, Dictionary.com’s premium apps were removed from Google Play and Apple’s App Store. The premium version was available for download for $6 as recently as March 23, per the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.

A Reddit user who described themselves as a premium customer said they reached out to Dictionary.com’s support email and received a response saying, in part:

After careful consideration, user accounts within the Dictionary.com app have been discontinued. As a result, users are no longer able to sign in to their accounts, and any saved word lists are no longer available.

Unfortunately, since the coding technology that was used in the previous app version is different from what is used in the new app, it is not possible to recover word lists.

This change was part of our recent app update to improve the design, speed, and functionality of the Dictionary.com app. While we understand that this changes how you use Dictionary.com, we are hopeful that you will find the overall improvements provide faster search, additional content, and a better design.

Another person online supposedly received a similar message. Some people said they were unable to get in contact with Dictionary.com. Ars Technica tried contacting Dictionary.com through multiple messages to its support team, the press office of parent company IXL Learning, and The Dictionary Media Group, which IXL launched after acquiring Dictionary.com in 2024 and includes websites like Vocabulary.com, Multiplication.com, and HomeschoolMath.net. We didn’t receive any response.

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Longer commercial breaks lower the value of ad-based streaming subscriptions

ads, max, streaming, Tech, warner bros. discovery / Kris Guyer / June 21, 2025

But that old promise to HBO Max subscribers hasn’t carried over to Max, even though WBD is renaming Max to HBO Max this summer. As PCWorld noted, Max has been showing ads during HBO original content like The Last of Us. The publication reported seeing three ad breaks during the show in addition to ads before the show started.

Ars Technica reached out to WBD for comment about these changes but didn’t receive a response ahead of publication.

Depleting value

With numerous streaming services launching over the past few years, many streaming customers have been pushed to subscribe to multiple streaming services to have access to all of the shows and movies that they want. Streaming providers also regularly increase subscription fees and implement password crackdowns, and ad-based subscriptions were supposed to offer a cheaper way to stream.

Streaming providers forcing subscribers to watch more commercials risk depleting the value of ad-based streaming tiers. Online, for example, people are questioning the value of their ad-based Max subscriptions, which start at $10 per month, compared to $17 per month for ad-free Max.

“I don’t how it could be worse. I watched several HBO documentaries, and they already had more adverts than Pluto TV [a free, ad-supported streaming service]. The kids programs for Cartoon Network started out with few adverts, but they have been loading up on adverts,” a Reddit user said in response to Max showing more ads.

Another Reddit user said that “if [Max] has ads, it shouldn’t be $10/month.”

Beyond Max, PCWorld cited MediaRadar data finding that Disney+ shows over 5.3 minutes of ads per hour, and Hulu shows over seven minutes of commercials hourly.

Such lengthy commercial breaks can extend past a convenient snack or bathroom break and force subscribers to consider the value of their time and how much time they want to allocate to get through a 22-minute program, for example.

With linear TV reportedly showing 13 to 16 minutes of commercials per hour, though, streaming providers still have space to show even more ads while still claiming that they show fewer ads than alternatives.

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Smart TV OS owners face “constant conflict” between privacy, advertiser demands

ads, privacy, samsung, Software, streaming, Tech, TVs / Kris Guyer / June 19, 2025

DENVER—Most smart TV operating system (OS) owners are in the ad sales business now. Software providers for budget and premium TVs are honing their ad skills, which requires advancing their ability to collect user data. This is creating an “inherent conflict” within the industry, Takashi Nakano, VP of content and programming at Samsung TV Plus, said at the StreamTV Show in Denver last week.

During a panel at StreamTV Insider’s conference entitled “CTV OS Leader Roundtable: From Drivers to Engagement and Content Strategy,” Nakano acknowledged the opposing needs of advertisers and smart TV users, who are calling for a reasonable amount of data privacy.

“Do you want your data sold out there and everyone to know exactly what you’ve been watching … the answer is generally no,” the Samsung executive said. “Yet, advertisers want all of this data. They wanna know exactly what you ate for breakfast.”

Nakano also suggested that the owners of OSes targeting smart TVs and other streaming hardware, like streaming sticks, are inundated with user data that may not actually be that useful or imperative to collect:

I think that there’s inherent conflict in the ad ecosystem supplying so much data. … We’re fortunate to have all that data, but we’re also like, ‘Do we really want to give it all, and hand it all out?’ There’s a constant conflict around that, right? So how do we create an ecosystem where we can serve ads that are pretty good? Maybe it’s not perfect …

Today, connected TV (CTV) OSes are largely built around not just gathering user data, but also creating ways to collect new types of information about viewers in order to deliver more relevant, impactful ads. LG, for example, recently announced that its smart TV OS, webOS, will use a new AI model that informs ad placement based on viewers’ emotions and personal beliefs.

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Ads are “rolling out gradually” to WhatsApp

ads, Meta, Social Media, Tech, whatsapp / Rejus Almole / June 17, 2025

For the first time since launching in 2009, WhatsApp will now show users advertisements. The ads are “rolling out gradually,” the company said.

For now, the ads will only appear on WhatsApp’s Updates tab, where users can update their status and access channels or groups targeting specific interests they may want to follow. In its announcement of the ads, parent company Meta claimed that placing ads under Updates means that the ads won’t “interrupt personal chats.”

Meta said that 1.5 billion people use the Updates tab daily. However, if you exclusively use WhatsApp for direct messages and personal group chats, you could avoid ever seeing ads.

“Now the Updates tab is going to be able to help Channel admins, organizations, and businesses build and grow,” Meta’s announcement said.

WhatsApp users will see three different types of ads on their messaging app. One is through the tab’s Status section, where users typically share photos, videos, voice notes, and/or text with their friends that disappear after 24 hours. While scrolling through friends’ status updates, users will see status updates from advertisers and can send a message to the company about the offering that it is promoting.

There are also Promoted Channels: “For the first time, admins have a way to increase their Channel’s visibility,” Meta said.

Finally, WhatsApp is allowing advertisers to charge users a monthly fee in order to “receive exclusive updates.” For example, people could subscribe to a cooking Channel and request alerts for new recipes.

In order to decide which ads users see, Meta says WhatsApp will leverage user information like their country code, age, their device’s language settings, and the user’s “general (not precise) location, like city or country.”

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