Google TV Adds Non-Skippable Ads To The Platform

Amazon and Netflix have shown the way. Now Google is following suit. In the future, the company will display more advertising to customers via its smart TV interface. The clips are intended to interrupt the programs and not be skippable.

Google wants to better monetize free streams

Just a year ago, Google TV launched a number of new free channels and a live TV tab in EU. Since last summer, users have been able to access linear TV channels more easily and use other free offers. This also includes the free FAST channels included with Google TV. The company wants to monetize these much more in the future.

Advertising breaks like on Amazon and YouTube

The abbreviation FAST stands for “Free Ad Supported Streaming”. The advertising should look like what we are used to from YouTube, Amazon and Netflix. Accordingly, the program is interrupted at certain intervals and unskippable advertising clips are played, reports TechRadar.

There will also be so-called bumpers. These are clips of up to six seconds that are shown before or after the actual content. According to Google, other advertising formats will also be added.

Start date in EU unclear

It is not yet clear when Germany and France Google TV users will be able to enjoy the additional advertising, but in the USA the new clips are already being played via Google’s network. According to reports, 20 million users watch an average of 75 minutes of series or films on the FAST channels every month. Google will certainly not miss out on the additional revenue that can be generated with the new advertising for any longer than absolutely necessary.

Advertising becomes the standard

What is becoming increasingly clear from this example is that the golden age of streaming is over from the customer’s perspective. Users have to get used to being confronted with advertising that is embedded directly in the provider’s systems, despite a monthly subscription. One of the few companies that is currently sparing customers is Apple with its Apple TV. However, the necessary hardware is also comparatively expensive.