Why your television now shows you different adverts than your neighbour

Streaming turned the least targeted medium in advertising into one of the most addressable. The controls exist — they are just several menus deep.

By THRYV Tech Desk·Published July 25, 2026·Updated July 31, 2026·6 min read

Why your television now shows you different adverts than your neighbour

Streaming · Illustration commissioned for THRYV. Photography is replaced with original imagery as each story is produced.

The takeaway

Connected TV delivers adverts over the internet, so two households watching the same programme can see different ones. Targeting draws on the smart TV's own viewing measurement, app data and matched household identifiers. Most platforms provide opt-outs for viewing measurement and interest-based advertising in their privacy settings.

Broadcast advertising was bought by programme and time slot: everyone watching saw the same thing. Internet-delivered television changed the unit of sale from the slot to the household, and that single change reorganised the economics of the medium.

Where the targeting data comes from

Automatic content recognition built into many smart televisions, which identifies what is on screen — including from an attached console or set-top box.
The streaming application's own account and viewing history.
Identifiers matched against third-party datasets to infer household characteristics.
Approximate location derived from the network connection.

The setting is usually not called advertising

Viewing measurement is typically found under a name such as viewing information services, interest-based ads or similar, in the television's own privacy menu rather than the streaming app. Turning it off generally does not reduce the number of adverts — it reduces how specifically they are aimed.

What it changes for viewers

Two practical effects. Small and local advertisers can now buy television inventory that was previously out of reach, which is why unfamiliar brands increasingly appear between programmes. And the same household can be reached with the same message across the television, a phone and a laptop, which is why an advert seen on one screen often reappears on another.

Reducing the targeting

Open the television's own settings and look for privacy, then viewing information or measurement, and disable it.
Repeat in each streaming application's account settings, which are governed separately.
Reset the advertising identifier on the device where the option exists.
Recheck after major firmware updates; these settings are sometimes re-enabled.

THRYV carries advertising itself and labels every unit accordingly; our advertising and affiliate disclosure explains how that works and how it is kept separate from editorial decisions.

Sources

This article is original writing by THRYV. We link to primary reporting and official documents rather than reproducing them.

Privacy and security guidance for connected devices — US Federal Trade Commission
Guidance on the use of cookies and similar technologies — UK Information Commissioner's Office
ePrivacy and online tracking rules — European Commission

Why you can trust this article

Written and edited in-house by the THRYV Tech Desk. We do not republish or reword agency copy, and we do not invent quotes, statistics, testimonials or ratings. Where figures move frequently, we point you to the primary release rather than printing a number that will be out of date. Advertising and affiliate partnerships have no influence on our reporting — see our editorial standards, fact-checking policy and affiliate disclosure. Spotted an error? Write to newsroom@thryv-affiliate.com.

General information only. Not personalised financial, medical or legal advice.

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