“Awful”: Roku autoplaying ads loading before the home screen - Ars Technica #enshittification

Reports of Roku customers seeing video ads automatically play before they could view the OS’ home screen started appearing online this week. A Reddit user, for example, posted yesterday: “I just turned on my Roku and got an ... ad for a movie, before I got to the regular Roku home screen.”

#Roku confirms it, doesn't say if it will be a regular feature

Roku’s representative said that Roku’s business “has and will always require continuous testing and innovation across design, navigation, content, and our first-rate advertising products"

arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/0…

“Awful”: Roku tests autoplaying ads loading before the home screen

Users are unimpressed, eager to toss devices if test sticks.

^{Scharon Harding (Ars Technica)}