I wonder if it’s possible to do some kind of anti-advertising response action … my wife is watching the Great British Baking Show on Roku (older seasons not available on Netflix), and every time she hits pause, the screen gets an ad overlay. It’s just beyond obnoxious, and it makes me want to contact the advertiser and say “because you chose to validate this assault with your marketing dollars, I am actively seeking out your competitors instead.”
It sounds like you really should be mad at Roku - they're the ones who implemented the ad-during-pause behavior. If the particular vendor you're upset with didn't advertise there - some other would have, maybe one you don't use at all, so wouldn't have the recourse of a ban. Point is banning that vendor still means you get ads during the pause, so doesn't really help. But throwing out the roku or complaining loudly to them might? Or might not - my AT&T DirecTV receiver does the same thing, albeit silently, so it's tolerable.
There's always options. Yarrr.
@Biggles I am mad at Roku :) but if advertisers see that certain types of spend backfire dramatically, they will stop sending money there, and *that* is what changes the behavior of platforms. The only other avenue that has any utility at all is legislation, and that’s hilariously inept most of the time. Gotta hit where the revenue lies.