Android TV Update Puts Home-Screen Ads On Multi-Thousand-Dollar Sony Smart TVs

Google is testing a new 'Pilot Program' that puts a row of advertisements on the Android TV home screen. XDA Developers, which was the first to report the program, says: 'We're currently seeing reports that it has shown up in Sony smart TVs, the Mi Box 3 from Xiaomi, NVIDIA Shield TV, and others.' Ars Technica reports: The advertising is a 'Sponsored Channel' part of the 'Android TV Core Services' app that ships with all Android TV devices. A 'Channel' in Android TV parlance means an entire row of thumbnails in the UI will be dedicated to 'sponsored' content. Google provided XDA Developers with a statement saying that yes, this is on purpose, but for now it's a 'pilot program.'

Sony has tersely worded a support page detailing the 'Sponsored channel,' too. There's no mention here of it being a pilot program. Sony's page, titled 'A sponsored channel has suddenly appeared on my TV Home menu,' says, 'This change is included in the latest Android TV Launcher app (Home app) update. The purpose is to help you discover new apps and contents for your TV.' Sony goes on to say, 'This channel is managed by Google' and 'the Sponsored channel cannot be customized.' Sony basically could replace the entire page with a 'Deal with it' sunglasses gif, and it would send the same message.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.