Roku Is Forcing Users To Watch Ads Before They Can Use Their TV In 'test'

Roku users have run into autoplaying ads when their first turn their TVs on lately, which Roku says is a “test.”

Recently, Roku devices have started to show ads for movies and other media when the TV is first turned on, with many users seeing ads for Disney’s Moana 2. The ads, which start playing automatically, play in their entirety before the user is eventually sent to their homescreen. A close button is apparently in place, but not all users have seen it.

Speaking to ArsTechnica, Roku says that this behavior is an intentional test, but neglected to mention how widespread the test is, and whether or not this can be disabled.

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 already places ads on the homescreen and in its screensaver, but autoplaying ads as soon as the TV is turned on is new, and rather aggressive behavior. In late 2023, Amazon was also found to be forcing auto-play ads on Fire TV when first loading up, though a setting later made it possible to turn that video ad into a static image.