Skip to content
Tech News
← Back to articles

This smart TV brand crossed a big line with its absurd ad antics — and users aren’t happy

read original get Samsung QLED Smart TV → more articles
Why This Matters

Hisense TV owners are experiencing intrusive ads that appear during basic actions like switching inputs or turning on the TV, raising concerns about user privacy and control. The issue stems from a temporary advertising test that has now ended, but the impact highlights ongoing tensions between monetization strategies and consumer rights in the smart TV industry. This situation underscores the importance of transparency and user choice in smart device advertising practices.

Key Takeaways

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

TL;DR Some Hisense TV owners report seeing ads when switching HDMI inputs, turning on the TV, or changing channels.

The complaints appear to span an extended time period and several countries.

Hisense says the ads were part of a temporary advertising test in Spain that has now ended.

Ads might be a fact of life these days, and won’t come as much of a surprise if you’re watching a free streaming service. That doesn’t make them any less annoying, like YouTube’s new unskippable TV ads, which are pushing viewers’ patience. But some owners of Hisense TVs say ads have crossed an entirely different line by appearing when they perform basic actions, such as switching inputs or changing channels.

According to reports collated by Tom’s Hardware, some Hisense TV owners say their sets have begun showing ads when switching HDMI inputs, turning the TV on, navigating to the home screen, or even changing channels. Many of the affected devices appear to run the company’s VIDAA smart TV platform, which was recently rebranded as Home OS.

Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a favorite source in Google Discover to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more.

to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. You can also set us as a preferred source in Google Search by clicking the button below.

User reports suggest the issue isn’t new. Threads on Reddit dating back several years describe ads appearing in system menus or during startup, while more recent posts claim full-screen ads now appear when switching inputs. Some users say they were able to disable the ads by contacting Hisense support and providing their TV’s unique device ID, raising questions about how the ads are being delivered in the first place.

Spanish outlets El Español and La Razón recently covered similar complaints from TV owners in Spain. According to those reports, some users were even seeing ads appearing when changing channels.

... continue reading