The short answer
You can stop adverts being personalised and reduce some of them, and you cannot remove sponsored rows entirely on most platforms. Turn off automatic content recognition and interest-based advertising, disable autoplay previews, and if the advertising is unbearable, a streaming stick with a cleaner interface is the practical answer.
Televisions are sold at thin margins and the home screen is monetised afterwards. That is why a set costing several hundred pounds shows sponsored content on its first screen. The settings below reduce the tracking that personalises those adverts and, on some platforms, reduce their prominence.
Turn off the tracking first
Automatic content recognition samples what is on screen, including from HDMI inputs, and reports it for advertising purposes. Turning it off does not remove adverts and does stop them being based on what you watch.
- Samsung: Settings, All Settings, General and Privacy, Terms and Privacy. Turn off Viewing Information Services and Interest-Based Advertising.
- LG: All Settings, General, System, Additional Settings, then turn off Live Plus. Also review User Agreements and any advertising option.
- Sony and Google TV: Settings, Privacy, Ads, opt out of ads personalisation and reset the advertising ID. Disable Samba Interactive TV if present.
- Roku: Settings, Privacy, Advertising, enable Limit Ad Tracking. Under Smart TV Experience, uncheck Use Info from TV Inputs.
- Fire TV: Settings, Preferences, Privacy Settings, turn off Device Usage Data, Collect App Usage Data and Interest-based Ads. Also turn off Data Monitoring.
Restart the television after changing these settings. Several manufacturers only apply consent changes at the next boot, and people conclude the toggles did nothing because they checked immediately.
Reduce the visual intrusion
Turn off autoplay video previews
On most platforms this is in the home screen or preferences settings. It is the single biggest reduction in how intrusive the home screen feels.
Turn off audio for previews
Where the platform allows video previews but not their sound, which is a useful middle ground.
Remove and reorder rows
Some platforms let you hide entire content rows, including ones for services you do not subscribe to.
Uninstall apps you never use
Fewer installed apps means fewer promoted rows on several platforms.
Set the TV to boot to an input
Where supported, so it starts on your streaming device rather than the smart platform’s home screen.
Turn off the free ad-supported channel service
Manufacturers promote their own free channel services heavily, and disabling or hiding them removes a significant part of the clutter.
The network approach and its limits
Blocking advertising domains at the router or with a filtering DNS service reduces some television advertising. It comes with caveats worth knowing:
- Several manufacturers hard-code their own DNS servers, which routes around network-level filtering entirely.
- Blocking too much can break legitimate functions, including app stores and content listings.
- It requires maintenance as domains change.
- It does not affect adverts served from the same servers as the content.
It is worth doing if you already run such a service for the whole house, and it is not a reliable solution on its own.
The definitive answers
Do not connect the television to the internet. A TV with no network connection shows no adverts, because it cannot fetch them. You lose the built-in apps and firmware updates, which matters little if you use a streaming device for everything. This is the cleanest solution available and it is available to everyone.
Use a streaming device and ignore the TV’s platform. Set the television to start on that input, and you will rarely see its home screen. Streaming platforms vary in how much they advertise, and choosing a cleaner one is a real improvement.
Before disconnecting a television from the internet permanently, consider whether you will want firmware updates, which occasionally fix genuine picture, sound and HDMI compatibility problems. A reasonable middle path is to connect it briefly once or twice a year to update, then disconnect again.
What you cannot remove
Sponsored rows and promoted content on the home screen are part of the platform on most current televisions, and there is no setting to remove them. What the settings above achieve is stopping those adverts from being based on your viewing, and reducing the movement and noise that makes them intrusive.
If that is not acceptable, the purchase decision is the place to act. Some manufacturers advertise considerably less than others, and reading about a platform’s home screen before buying is worth as much as reading about its picture quality, because you will interact with it every day.
Can I remove adverts from my smart TV completely?
Not from the home screen on most platforms. You can stop them being personalised, turn off autoplay previews, and avoid the home screen entirely by booting to a streaming device input.
Does turning off ACR stop adverts?
No, it stops them being targeted using what you watch. The adverts continue and become generic, and the tracking of your viewing stops.
Will blocking ads at the router work?
Partially. Many televisions hard-code their own DNS servers, which bypasses network-level filtering, and aggressive blocking can break app stores and content listings.
What if I never connect the TV to the internet?
Then it shows no adverts at all. You lose the built-in apps and firmware updates, which is a reasonable trade if you use a separate streaming device.
Do streaming sticks have adverts too?
Yes, to varying degrees. Some platforms are considerably more restrained than others, and choosing the right one is a real improvement over a manufacturer’s built-in platform.
The short version
Turn off automatic content recognition and interest-based advertising on your specific brand, then restart the set. Disable autoplay previews, hide rows you do not want, and uninstall apps you never use. Set the television to boot to your streaming device’s input. And if that is still not enough, keep the television off the network entirely and let the streaming device do the work.
