Hulu and AT&T want to show you ads when you hit pause, says report
"Pause ads" could be coming in 2019.
Your pause screen may be taken over by ads.
Hitting pause might give you a break during binge-watching, but it won't save you from advertising, according to a report.
Hulu and AT&T are planning on introducing "pause ads" in 2019, reports Variety.
The report cites Hulu VP and head of advertising, Jeremy Helfand, who said, "As binge-viewing happens more and more, it's natural they are going to want to pause." Helfand reportedly called pauses "a natural break in the storytelling experience," making them a logical candidate for ad time.
AT&T (which owns DirecTV and U-verse) plans to run "full-motion video" ads when the viewer hits pause, according to the report.
"We know you're going to capture 100 percent viewability when they pause and unpause," says Matt Van Houten, VP of product at Xandr Media (AT&T's advertising division). "There's a lot of value in that experience."
Tools like DVR fast-forwarding and online ad-blockers have allowed TV watchers to avoid advertising, which forces TV companies to get creative when showing ads.
Hulu and AT&T didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.