Facepalm: While the new screensaver model is optional and can be disabled, its arrival says a lot about where traditional pay-TV providers are headed. As subscriptions slide and viewing habits splinter, the screen itself has become the product. By integrating Glance's AI platform, DirecTV joins a growing push across the TV industry to blend entertainment, interactivity, and e-commerce into one monetized feed.
DirecTV is preparing to bring a new form of advertising to TV screens. Starting in early 2026, the company's Gemini and Gemini Air streaming devices will begin displaying AI-generated screensavers powered by Glance, a company best known for embedding "smart" advertising onto smartphones and, increasingly, connected TVs.
The Gemini Air, an Android TV-based streaming dongle developed by Humax, already gives users access to DirecTV's programming alongside apps like Netflix, Max, and Prime Video. It runs Android TV 11 with 4GB of memory, a Broadcom BCM72181 quad-core processor, and supports 4K HDR through HDMI 2.1. The compact device also integrates Chromecast, Google Assistant, and Dolby Vision support, operating on Wi-Fi 5 for wireless connectivity. It's a perfectly capable little device that, until now, left its idle screens to Google's static wallpapers.
That changes under the new partnership. When a DirecTV-connected television sits inactive for around ten minutes, the screensaver will morph into Glance's AI-driven experience: dynamic visuals that double as interactive ad space. Users can scan a QR code to create an AI-generated avatar through Glance's mobile app, then customize it and explore product recommendations inspired by the on-screen imagery.
Each "AI scene" is designed to feature shoppable elements: clothing, furniture, or other products that mirror what's shown on screen. Glance's group VP of commercial partnerships, Rajat Wanchoo, told The Verge the company's algorithms can pull from a catalog of more than one trillion product listings (SKUs) across retail partners. Purchases, however, are completed on a separate mobile device – for now.
Alongside the shoppable content, idle screens will also display practical information like weather conditions and sports scores, ensuring the experience feels at least partly useful.
Glance says its on-device AI interface, developed in collaboration with Google, updates automatically and can generate short 30-second clips or branded interactions. The company pitches this as the next evolution of its lock-screen model, which first appeared on Samsung Galaxy phones. This time, though, the canvas is much bigger: the television in your living room.
For DirecTV, the rollout marks a clear pivot toward ad-driven revenue at a time when pay-TV subscriptions continue to fall. The company's customer base has shrunk from over 20 million in 2015 to around 11 million by late 2024. Turning idle screens into monetizable surfaces may not fix that decline, but it does open another door – one advertisers may be eager to step through.