Roku Is Testing New Intrusive Video Ads
In March 2025, following a slew of ad integrations in the Roku operating system, such as within the Roku City screensaver and sidebars, Roku began testing video ads that play automatically before you even land on the home page.
You can avoid screensaver ads byenabling the Backdrops feature on Roku, which lets you select a gallery of images.
For most users, including myself, this ad was a trailer for Disney’s Moana 2. While it’s hard to be mad about Moana, the ad’s unexpected and resonant display in my living room was less than welcome.
A Roku representative toldArs Technicathat the ad was just a “test” as it attempts to “Explore new ways to showcase brands and programming while still providing a delightful and simple user experience.” It may be a test for now, but Roku users are worried this “delightful” video ad might stick as another source of revenue for the company.
Examining Roku’s history of advertising updates, the future doesn’t look bright. In 2024, Roku incorporated video-enabled ad units into its home screen to “increase the monetization” of the interface, as reported byThe Streamable.
While Roku claims to give you control over existing ads on the OS, the control is limited. According to aRoku support forum, Roku previously allowed you to hide ads located in the right sidebar by highlighting the ad, pressing the*button on the remote, and selectingHide this ad.
I am trying this method on my Roku device at the time of writing, and I can’t hide ads. I can only choose toShow a different ad, but it’s hard to see the value of this beyond protecting young viewers from mature content or projecting the illusion of user control. Plus, you can only do this a few times before reaching a daily limit. The OS offers an enticing option toManage ad preferences, but this just points you to enablePersonalized ads, which will serve ads that are “tailored to you.” How generous.
Still, the latest on-screen ad test trial feels more invasive than the rest because it’s a barrier to entry on your own hardware. It’s like picking up your phone and having to close an ad just to call your mom. Unlike purchasingFree Ad-Supported Television (FAST) servicesor thead-supported tiers of popular streaming appslike Netflix and Hulu, you and your Roku didn’t enter into this contract mutually.
There are other streaming devices, but some are just as ad-laden. We’ve seen similar advertising choices from Amazon, with the company’s Fire TV devices also adopting fullscreen video ads. That choice resulted in many customers ditching the brand. You’d think Roku would heed this cautionary tale, but the company seems to be similarly playing with fire.
