I have the shield and I'm seeing it? I can turn it off but then it comes back. So...

boy howdy if anything is going to drive me into the arms of apple or roku it'll be putting ads on my $170 android tv box without my consent. What's the average lifespan of a google product again? https://gcemetery.co/google-product-lifespan/

Yes, we're outraged now , while it's just a pilot program. To use an entirely inappropriate metaphor, we're banging on the cabin door, boxcutters in hand.

Don't do it, Google.

All in all, this made me like Sony even more.

/s

Happy that my 4 Sony TVs were all selected to be a part of this exciting new pilot program!

/s

To say that I hate advertising is an understatement. When the Amazon FireTV started showing ads, I packed them up and stuck them in the basement and switched to a MiBox and even stopped buying movies on Amazon and moved to Google Play. I have not yet seen any ads on the MiBox, but the moment I do, that'll be in the basement too. I'm happy to PAY not to see ads - what pisses me off is when I am not given the choice. I don't watch much TV anyway. In my living room, I watch everything on a PC, so I have much more control over things like ads.

I will stop watching TV, streaming, digital movies and the whole lot of it when advertising becomes impossible to avoid. I realize most people just let it happen and some people don't see the big deal, but for me, advertising is so insidious and insulting, I just can't let it go or ignore it.

and here we thought they care about our consent >.> This is what I get after finally becoming cordcutter.

I did not purchase my Sony Bravia with Android TV just to be sold to. There was nothing in the sales material that said "Sony and or Google can use this TV you paid for to earn money by showing you ads you can't remove and you don't even get any kind of free content in return". If they did I never would have paid $2500 for a Sony with Android TV. There is no power on earth that will allow me to trust Sony or Google again. This is the last Sony TV I will ever buy and the last (non-rooted) android device I will ever own. I hope it was worth it. I have already cut the cord. My next "TV" will be a dumb monitor connected to a Linux Computer and my next phone will be Librum 5.

Fuck u google.

Not to say that I'm happy about this sort of thing, but I'm also not really surprised. Cable is a paid service that still has an insane number of far more intrusive ads. Unfortunately paying for something isn't a guarantee that it won't be used to advertise to you and never has been. All we can do is hope that some companies continue to leave ad-free options available, but in reality there's nothing from stopping even a company like Netflix from making ad-free a high-tier feature.

Google says it is already seeing “active engagement” from users who are part of the pilot program, and that it is looking for feedback from users via the “Send Feedback” voice command on Android TV.

This part is horseshit. I have a X900E (model XBR-55X900E) that has the sponsored line. I clicked the microphone on my remote and said "submit feedback." The assistant activates and asks for my feedback, but then cuts me off after five seconds. It's just enough time for one short sentence.

There's no way they can be receiving meaningful feedback via this method.

I have the offensive sponsored channel bar. Sony xbr65x900f it cannot be removed or moved. Needless to say I’m extremely disappointed in Sony for allowing Google to turn my TV into their personal billboard. I’ve factory reset the TV and HAVE NOT signed into Gmail Google account. No longer using Android TV, strictly using Apple TV4K and Roku. Take Android and shove it Google.

Here's how to permanently "opt-out" of this Sponsored "channel" for those who were "accepted" into Sony's "pilot" program without ever "opting-in".

Background: I've previously written about this on several other threads under an account I've since [deleted]. This method WORKS 100% PERMANENTLY (still as of today) and requires no ADB expertise. I've been running two 900E sets without issues in this manner for weeks.

Ensure your set is fully updated - install the latest firmware and app updates (optional but included, so you don't need to later). 1- Go into Settings > Apps 2- Find "Android TV Core Services" 3- Roll back all updates on it (will warn you that you're rolling back to initial version... skip over that... you don't want it.) 4- Return to the Home screen and remove the Sponsored "channel" by clicking far left on the row and using the minus (-) button. 5- Return to Apps in Settings and look for "Android TV Core Services" again. 6- Force Stop it and then DISABLE it. 7- Enjoy your set without the Sponsored garbage.

Note: Android TV Core Services provides little to no value that I have managed to find to date. Disabling this removes the Sponsored garbage and prevents it from returning currently (until Google finds another way to slip it in).

Hope this helps.

I don't drive any more due to all of those intrusive billboards along the highways. And I don't go to the grocery store because there are ads plastered all over the place. I stopped going to the doctor because there's a TV in the waiting area that advertises the local health system my doctor belongs to. Of course, reading the local newspaper is out; ads, ads everywhere, and I paid for that paper! I'm thinking about not reading Reddit anymore since there are promoted posts included.

I'm honestly not that surprised. It was only a matter of time before the ads followed us to our new tv platform. I tried watching cable at my parents and the constant ads drove me insane. As long as they're not super intrusive these don't both me terribly, not that I'm happy about it.

LOL.

Reality check...

A virtually free Android OS supplied to you by a Search & Advertising company.

Google were always going to monetize this free OS eventually in one way or another and the Android TV vendors will be complicit in such an implementation to ensure they grab their share of the Advertising $$$ Pie

End users are not the priority here, they are the dumb, feeble sheep the advertising Wolf hunts.

If there are not consumer laws in various countries to protect against this "Bait and Switch" tactic, people should avoid anything Android all together.

i think 9 to 5 google .com and google planted this article

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pilot program...where did i sign the contract for it...no question on that yet sony and google forced it down on my sony tv....and 9to5google.com hopefully dont call themselves journalist....because all i smell is pr bullshit

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this is a law suit waiting to happen for sony and google...its a explicit invasion of my private tv screen without permission since i did not agree to this pilot program.

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call bull shit what it is folks.....bull shit

I'm already pissed enough that my $2500 Bravia has near constant performance issues (stuttering, dropped frames) that app/memory management won't resolve and that can only be fixed by rebooting my TV roughly once per day.

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This seals the deal that I will never buy another device from this piece of shit company ever again. Fuck Sony.

I'm so glad I didn't update my Bravia to Oreo. Now I don't think I ever will. Besides the idea of these sponsored ads, I just do not like the layout of the home screen in Oreo. Channels are a stupid idea.

So if the shield tv is not part of the program then why do I have this on my shield tv? And why does it keep coming back every time I try to turn it off?

Bait and switch. Classic illegal act. I was told I was buying a TV, now months later I find out it was actually a billboard I bought. F u Google. See ya in class action court. Your buying my TV back or getting rid of the ads.