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To the chagrin of users, some TV channels and Android TVs have surfaced on home screen channels with a slew of sponsored content. A similar feature that shows featured Play Store apps is enabled by default, but it's pretty easy to disable it. The new sponsored channels are a bit harder to eliminate.
Owners of Sony TVs such as 900F and Bravia A1, as well as boxes such as Xiaomi Mi Box and Nvidia Shield TV, are concerned. A number of Reddit discussions with complaints from users of Sony and Xiaomi Android TV Box have appeared, suggesting that a recent update of the operating system to Oreo could be somehow to blame . Further investigation suggests that an update to the Android TV Core Services application (com.google.android.tvrecommendend) that handles the home screen feature is more likely to be the cause.
Ads for a mysterious gray product. Credit: u / AtHeartEngineer
A workaround of Redditor u / Felisens in which you uninstall the application updates allows you to delete the channel like any other by scrolling to the left until you get the toggle less . A deactivation option is also available in the channel settings. However, the promotional channels will come back the next time this application is updated. So you will also have to disable automatic updates – which everyone will not be comfortable with.
In a statement addressed to XDA developers, Google confirmed that the sponsored content was part of a test being run. It is therefore possible that it will not go away sooner:
Android TV is committed to optimizing and personalizing the home entertainment experience. As we explore new opportunities to engage the user community, we are running a pilot program to display sponsored content on the Android TV home screen.
It's not unlike other manufacturers to include unwanted ads on their hardware products, but one would not really expect it with firmware controlled by Google, such as Android TV . I guess the ads have even been tested in Discover (previously Feed) on Android phones, so we should not be so surprised.
A separate bug affects some hardware
According to comments received from Google by 9to5Google, Nvidia Shield TVs and Xiaomi Mi Box should not see sponsored channels on their home screen. However, there is a bug that keeps the Google Play Apps Spotlight channel reappearing no matter how many times it's disabled. It is likely that some users associate these two distinct issues. Check if the channel you are watching is linked to Google Play or not, to determine which of the two issues is relevant to your device.
Sony adds support page to sponsored channels
In response to the aforementioned complaints, Sony has posted information about sponsored channels on its support site. The page confirms that this is part of an update of the Android TV launch application and that the content posted there is managed by Google.
Sony also offers another way to get rid of sponsored channels – by creating a restricted profile and selecting only the applications for which you want to see channels. I'm not sure that will be enough for most people. The Japanese company also suggests disabling video previews for all channels as the only way to prevent them from playing in sponsored channels. This is unfortunately another unsatisfactory solution.
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