Sling TV is the latest streamer to get those pesky pause ads

Sling TV will now place ads on your screen when you pause live or on-demand content, according to a announcement from its parent company, Dish. But you won’t have to deal with that extra dose of ads if you don’t want to — the ad pause example shared by Sling TV says you can “turn off Pause ads” in the settings menu.

That’s a relief in an industry where it’s increasingly difficult to escape intrusive paused ads. Want to pause a program to take a closer look at something on the screen? Or maybe you want to admire a close-up of your favorite actor for a while? Well, paused ads make this almost impossible as they often take up all or part of the screen.

Like other streamers, Sling TV is banking on advertising to generate more revenue. The service’s pause ad format will allow advertisers to display videos or static content and could even include a QR code that links viewers to a product. You can press any button to resume the content you are watching.

As terrible as the pause ads are, it’s good to see Sling TV giving users the option to cancel – other streamers take note.