Advertising is now part of our lives. Even on TV, they are constantly shoving washing powder and tampons in people's faces. Not to mention the ointments. Websites are also full of advertising, some of it over the top, some of it solid. Advertising has also found its way into phones, not just games and free apps, but the whole system.
MIUI, Xiaomi's first product, has now integrated ads into almost all of its system apps, and most of them can be turned off. Or not. But one thing is for sure. This is something we can slowly live with, since it can also mean huge revenue for the company if they are already selling their devices "as is".
I recently found out that it's no different with smart TVs in China. It's not just Xiaomi, other manufacturers are following suit and sneaking in an advert here and there. But sometimes not just anywhere! The most obnoxious is the boot advertisement that appears after switching on. The rest you have to watch when changing TV channels and in every app. That's tough.
Advertising on TV
So there's already a law against advertising in China, we think:
"According to Article 44(2) of China's Advertising Law, pop-up windows or otherwise published advertisements on Internet sites must be clearly marked with a closing sign to ensure one-click closure. In addition, the Jiangsu Provincial Consumer Rights Protection Commission and the China Chamber of Electronic Commerce issued a group standard "Technical Specifications for Smart TV Start-up Ads" in 2020, which clearly stipulates that the total duration of TV start-up ads should not exceed 30 seconds. It must have a one-click switch-off function. A one-click close prompt must appear within 1 second of the ad playing, and a response must appear within 3 seconds, giving consumers back the choice of whether or not to watch the start-up ad." - Translated from Chinese
Chinese CCTV reporters have investigated this nonsense, which claims that there is a lack of information on how to turn off advertisements. Because you can, just in a very clever way. You have to contact Xiaomi, enter the serial number, activation code, MAC address and within 2-3 working days they will deactivate the ads on your TV set!
Earlier, Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary general of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the Chinese Law Society, said in an interview with a CCTV reporter that TV manufacturers are suspected of violating consumers' right to information. It is the responsibility and duty of operators to provide consumers with genuine, comprehensive and accurate information on this information, which is important for consumers. Should I watch TV adverts or not? How long should I watch the ads? Consumers must be given this choice.
In China, Xiaomi has simplified the process by allowing you to contact customer support in the Xiaomi Mall app. By providing the requested information in writing, the notification will be turned off within 2-3 working days. It's a bit better than making a phone call.
User reviews
The science doesn't stop there, there are some interesting comments on the above solution under the Chinese articles. Those who have managed to turn off ads in the past could start again with a software update. There was also a lot of talk about the fact that not only young and/or knowledgeable people watch TV, but older people who have no idea what a MAC address is. Now they'll be watching series and/or movies during commercial breaks for the rest of their lives.
