Advanced Television

Samsung TVs insert unwanted ads into apps

February 11, 2015

Users of Samsung’s Smart TVs in Australia are complaining that advertisements are being inserted into their own locally-stored programmes and movies without permission.

Several users of the Plex app reported their viewing had been interrupted half way through by a Pepsi video ad.

Initially users were blaming Plex for inserting the ads, but the company denied its involvement. Users of other Samsung Smart TV apps, including the Foxtel TV app, also reported the problem.

A Samsung spokesperson said that the ad placement in third-party apps was a mistake, and that the issue only affected customers in Australia.

“We are aware of a situation that has caused some Smart TV users in Australia to experience programme interruption in the form of an advertisement,” Samsung said. “This seems to be caused by an error, and we are currently conducting a full and thorough investigation into the cause as our top priority”

The story follows news earlier in the week that voice-controlled Samsung TVs could unknowingly be recording viewer’s conversations.

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