With Sling TV being a live TV service, subscribers already encounter plenty of ads. Starting today, however, subscribers will also now begin to see advertisements ten seconds after pausing live programming or on-demand content.
Known as Pause ads, the use of this ad type has become increasingly common in streaming, with Sling TV just the latest streaming service to embrace them. Earlier this year, for example, Fubo also introduced of a number of new ad formats, including Pause ads.
“We are always looking to provide advertisers with the most effective, full-funnel ad solutions,” said Tom Fochetta, senior vice president, Dish Media. “Pause Ads introduce an additional opportunity for advertisers to lean into our first-party data and Sling TV’s robust targeting capabilities to create highly compelling and interactive ad experiences.”
Providing Sling’s Pause ads work in the same way they do elsewhere, subscribers can mostly expect a static image to be shown when pausing a live program or on-demand content. That said, Dish has explained advertisers also have the option of using video content in Pause ads if they want.
Regardless of whether it is a video or a static graphic, this ad format typically only displays one advertiser message at a time (per pause break), and may or may not include an additional call to action, such as the scanning of a QR code for more information.
Based on the image shared by Dish (shown above), it would appear that Sling users do have the option to disable Pause ads through the Settings section of the app.
At the surface level, Pause ads are not the worst ad format or the most annoying. However, as the use of Pause ads on Sling TV isn’t expected to result in fewer ads elsewhere, their introduction only adds to the number and ways subscribers now encounter commercials when using the service.
From the advertiser perspective, Pause ads can be a really effective solution. Not only do these advertisements remain on screen for as long as the content is paused, but their constant presence is also more likely to eventually grab the viewer’s attention.
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