Roku really is trying everything it can to push the limits to see how far customers will allow it to push limits on them, take things away, or invade them with ads. The last option is something that seems to be a new one coming from the company when it comes to the video games you play.
Consider you are in the middle of your favorite game and you get a phone call. As long as the game can pause, you typically do so and answer the phone. Now imagine as it is paused, pop-up ads start to play out on the screen. These ads are coming from your game, or the console you are playing it on. Instead, they are coming from the TV you have everything connected to.
This is exactly what Roku is hoping to do with its smart TVs. Not only that, but it would apply to anything plugged into the HDMI. As long as it goes idle (or whatever Roku defines as idle), it could display ads of their choice on the screen thinking you have paused or walked away. So video games, streaming devices, and more.
The company has filed a patent, clearly in hopes of possibly integrating this into future models or even current ones if it is possible to do over a simple firmware/software update. Of course, it may not go so well with users. Not only that, but it could take away from ad space from the other connected devices. This could potentially create a battle between Roku and other companies.
It will be interesting to see how the general public and other companies respond to this. It’s a clever idea but also a bold one as no party other than Roku will benefit from it. Personally, if I was inundated with ads every time I passed my game, I may be tempted to look for a new TV. What about devices that I pay monthly for ad-free service? Also, if I were a company that depended on advertisements for profit and Roku displayed theirs over them, I would respond badly as well (and likely with a legal team).
What do you think? Should your TV advertise to you every time you pause your game or movie? Feel free to use the comments below to share your own thoughts on the matter.
