{"id":165,"date":"2026-04-20T05:58:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T05:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/?p=165"},"modified":"2026-04-21T05:49:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T05:49:17","slug":"from-first-in-break-to-first-in-mind-why-the-home-screen-deserves-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/_editorial\/from-first-in-break-to-first-in-mind-why-the-home-screen-deserves-attention\/165\/","title":{"rendered":"From First in Break to First in Mind: Why the Home Screen Deserves Attention"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Helen Keelan, Head of Sales, General Market Europe at LG Ad Solutions<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First impressions have always mattered in media, and today they happen sooner than many advertisers realise. In the days of linear TV, the coveted \u201cfirst in break\u201d slot was everything. Now, in a streaming-first world, that decisive moment comes before a show even starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viewers can spend an average of 10 minutes<\/a> browsing before deciding what to watch \u2013 plenty of time for brands to make an impression.  It\u2019s a moment of undivided attention, when people are actively engaging with content. The Home Screen isn\u2019t just another placement in a media plan. It\u2019s the first environment viewers see when they turn on their TV \u2013 where browsing begins and brands show up before any content starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet, many media plans  still treat the Home Screen as an afterthought, or simply an extension of in-show inventory. With an approach that\u2019s creative, interactive, and grounded in measurement, advertisers can turn this high-engagement space into a powerful driver of both attention and action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be bold on the big screen<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The average Smart TV screen is around 55 inches, which instantly changes the rules of engagement. When an ad takes over the top portion of the screen, it\u2019s not subtle \u2013 it\u2019s a high-impact placement with the ability to expand into full-screen video and audio. LG Ad Solutions report<\/a> shows its effectiveness: around 85% of viewers find Home Screen ads clear and brand building, while nearly two-thirds go on to take action after seeing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attention is high, viewers are already in decision-making mode, and the research found that viewers exposed to Home Screen ads were 3x more likely to recognize a brand. Taken together, that positions the Home Screen as a clear starting point in the viewer journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As brands become more confident in the space, the real opportunity lies in how they use the Home Screen. It\u2019s one of the most flexible and creative new canvases on the Smart TV, making it the ideal place to experiment. By digging into audience insights and tailoring creative accordingly, brands can test what actually works; whether that\u2019s interactive formats, bold visual storytelling, or content that plays into the moment. This isn\u2019t about trial and error. With structured testing, scaled data, and close collaboration between platform and advertiser, brands can make informed creative decisions grounded in evidence rather than opinions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hit home with impact<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, how can brands make the most of this prime advertising inventory? It starts with the obvious: use the space. An ad takes up a third of the screen, so the creative needs to be designed to command attention. Then there\u2019s functionality, and this is where Smart TV really comes into its own. Interactive elements such as click throughs to landing pages invite viewers to explore more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urgency also matters. Time-sensitive offers, dynamic, animated creative, and regularly refreshed messaging all help Home Screen ads stand out in a space that viewers return to on average three times<\/a> per day<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Above all, this is an environment where entertainment pays off. Human-centric creative performs well because it meets viewer expectations at this stage of the viewing journey. When interactivity is layered in, recognition can be nearly 4x higher<\/a> than with non-interactive formats. And while creativity does the heavy lifting, the fundamentals still count \u2013 a clear, well-placed call to action can increase purchase intent more than tenfold<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Test, learn, improve<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For all its unique advantages, the Smart TV Home Screen follows the same core principle as any effective media channel: testing and measurement aren\u2019t optional. Across the CTV mix, different formats, messages, placements and environments will resonate with different audiences, and without a structured test-and-learn approach, brands are effectively guessing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than viewing activity in silos, it helps to step back and look at the bigger picture. The Home Screen is the connective layer within the wider CTV ecosystem \u2013 linking streaming apps, on-demand content and linear viewing. When insights from Home Screen performance are combined with data from video, digital and social channels, campaigns become more cohesive and more effective. Combining performance data with viewer insights enables smarter precision, driving stronger results across the funnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crucially, the Smart TV Home Screen isn\u2019t just another ad slot. It\u2019s the entry point to the entire CTV experience, guiding  attention, shaping engagement and influencing what viewers do next. Brands willing to invest, measure and innovate here have a real opportunity to stand out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those that approach the Home Screen with the same strategic rigor applied to other core channels are likely to see stronger, more consistent outcomes over time. That means designing creative specifically for the format and building campaigns around structured measurement and optimisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than treating it as an add-on, advertisers should consider the role the Home Screen plays within the broader TV experience \u2013 influencing awareness, consideration, recall and purchase intent across formats and moments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Helen Keelan, Head of Sales, General Market Europe at LG Ad Solutions First impressions have always mattered in media, and today they happen sooner than many advertisers realise. In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9],"topics":[],"class_list":["post-165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-_editorial","tag-tv-streaming"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":197,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165\/revisions\/197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kinsta-stag-advertisingweek.md-staging.com\/aw360\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}