Smart TVs are one of the best things to happen to entertainment in the last decade.
The ability to have an all-in-one device that can manage all of your entertainment services truly changes how you consume media.
However, one problem that plagues them and has led to a massive outcry from consumers is advertisements.
Smart TVs have ads on them to generate revenue for companies. Like any other ad system, they mainly create awareness for a particular product or service and build traffic. However, with some effort, users can usually remove most ads from their TVs.
The rest of this article will provide more details on ads, how to avoid them, and their necessity to companies’ income.
Most Smart TVs Have Ads on Them
Ads and the revenue they provide to the companies and the visibility they bring for brands are an advantage most companies can’t overlook.
Most online services run ads in some shape or form, which has slowly spilled into smart TVs.
Smart TVs and ads have slowly become a package deal. While most smart TVs didn’t initially launch with ads native to them, it has gradually gotten to the point where ads are the norm.
Most companies do this to maintain profit margins by promoting sponsored content.
While these ads are mainly unobtrusive and usually come in the form of a banner or something similar, some ads can be very distracting.
They can block out sections of the screen, play videos randomly and just generally ruin your experience.
This has led many users to search for the best way to disable ads, and quite a few solutions are available.
How Do You Disable Ads on Smart TVs?
As annoying as these ads are, there are some ways to bypass them, depending on your technical ability.
Some of these methods require a more profound working knowledge of your network, and some are very straightforward.
You can disable ads on smart TVs by disconnecting them from the internet. Doing this is the most straightforward way to achieve the desired result and leapfrogs many more complicated processes associated with disabling these ads.
The problem, however, with disabling your internet connection is that it nullifies the whole point of having a smart TV.
These devices are meant to centralize your entertainment experience and give you access to a myriad of platforms. Without an internet connection, most of this isn’t possible.
There are alternatives to try depending on the particular brand you own and how far you’re willing to go in terms of learning some technical terms, and I’ll go into some of them a bit below.
Get YouTube Premium
YouTube Premium is one of the more straightforward methods to follow.
If you primarily use your smart TV to stream on YouTube, YouTube Premium is a good choice.
It’s a subscription-based service that the platform offers, giving you access to a whole slew of features exclusive to the subscription.
The main feature we’re concerned with here is the absence of ads. YouTube is famous for its adverts.
The ad feature, which started years ago with short ads that lasted a few seconds, has gone on to almost double the length it used to be.
Some videos even play two ads back-to-back, which sometimes can’t be skipped.
The YouTube Premium subscription bypasses all of that, giving you access to unfettered YouTube access across all your devices, including smart TVs. Along with the ad restriction, the subscription also gives you:
- Access to a picture-in-picture mode
- Background play for your videos
- Access to YouTube’s original movies and TV shows
Install an Ad Blocker
Ad blockers are pretty common on regular computer browsers.
However, the popularity and invasiveness of ads on smart TVs have made them an increasingly popular feature for TVs.
These ad blockers are programs that, you guessed it, block ads.
Getting them to work is pretty simple, and a quick google search should give you a few adblockers to try out.
However, one thing to mention is to be discerning in your choice and do proper research on whichever one you choose to go with.
A good rule of thumb is to search for user reviews for each before downloading them to ensure they do the job they’re meant to do.
It’s best to err on the side of caution with these programs, as some are more trouble than they’re worth.
While some will block ads successfully, others can also expose you to harmful software that could ruin your TV.
Choose the DNS Route
This method is the most complicated of the three but also arguably the most effective.
If you’re willing to go through the effort, it could be advantageous and leave you with a relatively ad-free experience.
Blocking ads using DNS (Domain Name System) involves finding out where the ads are coming from and stopping them from the source. Essentially, you’ll blacklist particular domains from your network.
Do the following steps:
- Configure your computer and the page for your internet router. The URL varies based on the brand you use but is usually easy to find with a google search for your router’s brand name and login. For example, “Belkin Router Config URL.”
- Determine the username and password for your router. Your router usually has these details written somewhere on its body. A quick call to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) should fix this if it doesn’t.
- Block specific URLs on your router’s configuration page. This will stop you from seeing ads on your smart TV. This step is vital, and while it’s easy to do, it can take some time. The URLs you need to block change depending on the particular TV you own, but Lazy Admin has a great list of them for different brands.
However, one thing to note is that irrespective of the route you choose, some ads are embedded into whatever movie or video you’re watching at the time, and these sometimes aren’t avoidable no matter how hard you try.
Are Ads Necessary?
Ads can seem like the devil incarnate sometimes.
You’re trying to settle in and watch a YouTube video or your favorite show, and they randomly pop up, interrupting your alone time.
While they’re annoying and seem unnecessary, the truth is a bit more nuanced.
Ads are necessary particularly to businesses, as they contribute to a significant portion of their earnings.
They’re also an excellent way for smaller brands to build awareness about their products by leveraging the consumer base of larger brands.
Separate from this, ad revenue is one of the primary sources of income for many people.
YouTubers, bloggers, Tiktokers, and many more people make a living off what companies pay them to market their products.
Conclusion
The internet is an excellent source of income for many companies, and ads are a byproduct of that.
Ads have become an integral part of the digital landscape, and companies are taking full advantage.
Smart TV ad space is becoming prime real estate for services looking to advertise their offerings, and the TV companies are primarily to blame.
However, using some of the tips in the article should help lessen the blow somewhat, giving you some time to yourself without dealing with any adverts.