Good news for people with Hisense TVs in South Africa
Hisense does not show intrusive ads on its TVs in South Africa and currently has no plans to do so. In addition, the banner ads it uses have helped fund a growing bouquet of free channels in the country.
Several international tech publications recently reported that users of certain Hisense TVs in other countries have encountered non-skippable ads in their interfaces when using rudimentary functions.
Users in the UK, Germany, and Spain were presented with these ads when turning on the TV, switching between inputs, navigating to the home screen, and switching channels.
Tom’s Hardware found that the affected models were mostly, but not exclusively, lower-end units running Hisense’s VIDAA operating system.
Recently rebranded as Home OS, the software is also used by brands such as Toshiba, Akai, Loewe, and Schneider.
Several users who contacted Hisense support channels in their respective countries reported that the ads were deactivated shortly thereafter.
The company told Spanish publications that the ads were part of spot tests to evaluate certain advertising formats linked to free content on the platform.
“This was a temporary and finalised market test,” Hisense said. “The aforementioned advertising format has now been removed from Spain.”
Hisense is one of South Africa’s top-selling TV manufacturers and is an immensely popular option for budget and mid-range buyers.
We asked Hisense South Africa whether it was showing these ads on its sets in South Africa or had any plans to do so in the future.
Hisense SA deputy general manager, Luna Nortje, told MyBroadband that the company was aware of reports about the ads.
She clarified that the local user experience of ads differed significantly from what has been described in some overseas markets.
“In South Africa, there are no forced or full-screen advertisements when turning on the TV, switching inputs, changing channels, or during content playback,” Nortje said.
“Promotional content or banners to aid discoverability are limited to the home screen and remain unobtrusive, ensuring that the user’s viewing experience is not interrupted at any point.”
Designed not to intrude — and helping fund free content
Nortje said the promotional banners took up less than a third of the screen and were mainly static images or short videos to help users discover content and services available on the platform.
“They have been carefully and purposefully designed for the home screen specifically, are non-intrusive, and we can confirm that they do not interrupt viewing or device functionality in any way,” Nortje said.
“They do not require user interaction, they do not interrupt users during viewing, switching inputs, or
while accessing other features.”
Hisense’s ad implementation approach is similar to those in the Android TV and Google Smart TV operating systems. However, Hisense offers one thing that Google does not.
Nortje said the ads supported a broader global shift in Smart TV ecosystems, where platforms were increasingly designed for enhanced content discovery and access to free or subsidised content.
“This careful approach and placement allow Hisense to continue expanding its free content offering, which now includes a growing selection of both local and international channels available at no cost,” she said.
In South Africa specifically, VIDAA-powered TVs offer free access to more than 20 local channels and 30 international channels from the likes of Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, FIFA, Bloomberg, and France 24.
All TV functions can be enjoyed without viewing ads, ensuring that the overall experience of the Smart TV is seamless and user-controlled.
Hisense’s TVs are used by over 600,000 households in South Africa per month, while a total of one million devices use the VIDAA OS.
Nortje also highlighted that promotional placements have been part of the VIDAA Smart TV experience in South Africa since 2020.
“Hisense SA remains committed to delivering a high-quality, uninterrupted viewing experience on its Smart TVs, while continuing to expand access to local and international content,” she said.
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