How to block ads on almost any Smart TV

After getting tired of seeing ads, sponsored recommendations, and random banners all over our TVs, our Stands team went down the rabbit hole looking for solutions.

What we learned is that there's no single ad blocker that works perfectly on every Smart TV, but there are a few methods that work surprisingly well depending on your setup. You can check the full guide here.

1. DNS-level ad blocking (best option for most people)

This is what we ended up using. Instead of installing anything on the TV, we changed the DNS settings and blocked ad/tracking requests before they loaded.

Works on:

• Samsung TVs
• LG TVs
• Android TV / Google TV
• Roku

Popular options:

• AdGuard DNS
• NextDNS
• Pi-hole
• AdGuard Home

The nice thing is that it can reduce home screen ads, tracking requests, and a lot of background junk without needing extra apps.

2. Router-level filtering (best for whole-home blocking)

If you're willing to spend a little time setting things up, running Pi-hole or AdGuard Home on your network can block ads for every device connected to your Wi-Fi.

Pros:

• One setup for everything
• Blocks a lot of tracking
• Works across TVs, phones, tablets, and laptops

3. VPNs with ad-blocking features

Some VPNs include ad blocking and tracker blocking. This seems to work best on Android TV since you can install VPN apps directly.

Good if you also care about privacy, not just ads.

A few things we learned:

• Samsung and LG TVs are usually easiest to improve with DNS filtering.
• Roku is pretty locked down, so DNS/router-level blocking is often the best option.
• Android TV gives you the most flexibility.
• YouTube ads are still the hardest thing to eliminate because many are served directly through YouTube's infrastructure.

A lot of Smart TVs also send analytics and advertising-related data in the background, so even if ads don't bother you much, DNS filtering can help reduce tracking traffic.

For those already doing this, what's your setup? DNS? Pi-hole? Router-level filtering? Something else? We'd love to hear what's working for you.