TL;DR
- Reports are coming in that Roku may be experimenting with pause-screen ads.
- The ads are reportedly appearing even if the user has an ad-free subscription.
- These ads appear as static images that show up occasionally when media is paused.
Update, May 6, 2025 (6:26 PM ET): Roku has been in touch with Android Authority regarding these reports, and the company strongly denies the most problematic components of the claims.
As Roku explains, while it offers a “Pause Ads” option for advertisers looking to do some promotion through The Roku Channel, that does not apply to other streaming apps. Whatever those users thought they might have been seeing and shared on social media may just be in error. The company is also not serving ads on HDMI inputs connected to its streaming hardware.
Original article, May 2, 2025 (2:00 PM ET): Roku received a lot of pushback from customers after testing a feature that would auto-play video ads at device startup back in March. If you found that test to be annoying, get ready to have your feathers ruffled up once again. The company appears to be experimenting with a new way to serve you ads that involves the pause screen.
Over on Reddit, a Roku Streambar Pro user shared a picture of a static ad that popped up on screen after they hit pause on a show they were watching on Discovery Plus. According to the user, they started seeing these pause-screen ads a couple of days ago, even though they subscribe to the ad-free plan. They also note they’ve seen these ads about a half dozen times in the Discovery Plus app, but have yet to see them in Netflix.
Some commenters suggest that it could just be the Discovery Plus app serving ads. However, there’s reason to believe that these ads are Roku’s doing.
In Roku’s community forum, another user has posted about seeing pause-screen ads on their Roku Ultra. This user claims they started seeing the ads after the most recent update. For this person, the ads are reportedly appearing in not just one app, but all apps.
You may also remember hearing about a familiar-sounding patent the company filed last year. This patent described a feature that would allow Roku to detect when content is paused, even when the user is using a third-party device connected to a Roku TV. For example, if you paused the game you’re playing on your PS5, the Roku device would detect that and attempt to show you a relevant ad.
On top of that, Roku has a page dedicated to pause-screen ads on its advertising website, where it describes the benefits. Here, it tells marketers that they can:
- Encourage streamers to learn more
- Present your brand organically without disrupting the viewing experience
- Appear throughout the duration of the pause, creating the opportunity for longer exposure time
A large number of the commenters on Reddit say they have not seen these ads yet. As such, its unclear just how widespread this test actually is.
This news arrives on the heels of an issue causing 4K and HDR content to appear washed out on Roku. The issue appears to be connected to the latest OS update.
