Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on What Hi-Fi?
LG Electronics has announced that it will begin taking its TV business in a new direction starting this year, in line with its connected smart home ambitions. It’s hoping to become a “smart life solution company”, but what does this actually mean? And how will it change how you use your LG OLED TV? Well, unfortunately, the biggest change seems to be more ads.
During a speech in Seoul, LG CEO William Cho announced that the TV division will spearhead the forthcoming development of LG as a whole, as well as some of the specific changes we can expect. The smart life solution company refers to adding its technological expertise into smart homes, transport and commercial situations, whereas the TV strategy seems to be focused on webOS.
LG’s strategy here is to include more advertising within the operating system and more ad-supported services on webOS, with a focus on expanding LG Channels; the brand’s free-to-stream competitor to the likes of Pluto TV and Samsung TV Plus. Considering the higher level of ads on screen was a pet peeve of ours expressed in our LG OLED G3 and OLED C3 reviews, we’re not entirely on board with this new direction.
While the idea of more ads being loaded onto our already rather expensive LG OLED TVs doesn’t exactly enthuse us, LG promises that it’s all part of a grander scheme to evolve it into the connected smart life company that it aims to be. This includes further integration with LG’s smart home ecosystem for a connected home, as well as expanding LG’s TV division past the hardware and into a fully-fledged ‘media and entertainment service provider‘. Call us old-fashioned, but we prefer our TVs to prioritize the watching and gaming experience, however, only time will tell as to how the future of LG TVs will pan out.
About the Author
Lewis Empson is a Staff Writer on What Hi-Fi?. He was previously Gaming and Digital editor for Cardiff University’s ‘Quench Magazine’, Lewis graduated in 2021 and has since worked on a selection of lifestyle magazines and regional newspapers. Outside of work, he enjoys gaming, gigs and regular cinema trips.
