According to LG’s ads arm, LG AD Solutions, the screensaver ads activate “across the home screen, LG Channels, and Content Store on LG smart TVs.” The point is to capitalize “on idle screen time, turning what may be perceived as a period of downtime into a valuable engagement opportunity.” LG AD Solutions claims that it has commissioned testing showing that screensaver ads drive “on average a 2.5 times higher lift in brand awareness.”
In a statement, LG AD Solutions CTO Dave Rudnick seemed to acknowledge that people whose TVs are showing screensavers are often trying to do something other than look at adverts.
“In the past, a screensaver ad might have indicated that viewers had left the room, but today’s viewing habits are markedly different,” he said. “Now, 93 percent of viewers multitask while watching TV, engaging in activities like messaging, shopping, browsing social media, or playing games on their phones.”
TV advertising: The next generation
The addition of screensaver ads that users can disable may sound like a comparatively smaller disruption as far as TV operating system (OS) ads go. But the incorporation of new ad formats into TV OSes’ various nooks and crannies is a slippery slope. Some TV brands are even centered more on ads than selling hardware. Unfortunately, it’s up to OS operators and TV OEMs to decide where the line is, including for already-purchased TVs. User and advertiser interests don’t always align, making TV streaming platforms without third-party ads, such as Apple TV, increasingly scarce gems.
LG has been expanding its business for selling and tracking ads shown on LG TVs. It has a partnership with Nielsen that sends automatic content-recognition data gathered from LG TVs to Nielsen, for example. Additionally, LG has boasted of plans to evolve from a hardware business into a “media and entertainment platform,” which includes selling ads. The South Korean company has also expressed strong interest in shopable TV ads.