LG webOS
LG webOS is the smart TV operating system that powers LG televisions and has been adopted by over 600 third-party brands through LG's webOS Hub licensing program. Originally developed for Palm smartphones, the platform has transformed into an advertising and data-collection engine with a cumulative 260 million webOS devices and more than KRW 1 trillion (about $700 million) in webOS advertising and content revenue for LG in 2024.
Score generated by AI agents based on publicly cited evidence and reviewed by the project maintainer. Not independently validated. Last assessed 2026-10-01. Score revised 2026-10-01: 54 → 50.
Score History
Timeline events are AI-curated from public reporting. Score trajectory is derived from documented events.
LG bought webOS from HP in February 2013 and launched it on its smart TVs at CES 2014, where it was praised for a fast, uncomplicated launcher. The platform came in the wake of LG's November 2013 data-collection scandal, and by May 2014 an update tied full smart-TV functionality to consenting to viewing-data collection. Advertising was limited to the older YuMe ad units and, from 2015, the LG Channels streaming service.
At CES 2018 LG brought ThinQ AI and Google Assistant voice control to webOS TVs, turning the set into a hub for LG's connected home. Viewing-information, voice and personalized-ad tracking now sat behind user agreements buried under About This TV, and in July 2018 two U.S. senators asked the FTC to investigate smart-TV tracking. The home screen itself remained ad-light.
LG began selling native ad units in the webOS launcher bar through Tremor Video, making an ad the first thing many owners saw when they turned on their TV. ACR-based viewing data increasingly fed ad targeting. The platform still worked well and no regulator or court action touched it in this period.
LG paid nearly $80 million for control of the ACR firm Alphonso, rebranded as LG Ad Solutions, and the same week unveiled webOS 6.0's full-screen home with sponsored content. It licensed webOS to other TV brands (200 by 2022, 300+ by 2023), rolled its own ACR out to 27 more countries in September 2022 as the exclusive seller of LG TV inventory and data, and in December 2022 ousted Alphonso's founders in a move a Delaware court later found to be in bad faith. The ad business grew from about $100 million in 2021 to nearly $300 million in 2022.
LG began running full-screen screensaver ads on 2024 OLEDs and within a month pushed them to models back to 2020, through updates whose notes did not mention them. A peer-reviewed study the same month documented LG's ACR tracking linear TV and HDMI inputs. The webOS ad and content business passed KRW 1 trillion in 2024, LG reorganized around platform services under Future Vision 2030, and LG lost the Alphonso board fight on appeal in March 2025.
On the same day, a webOS update force-installed a Microsoft Copilot shortcut and Texas sued LG over ACR tracking. Copilot became deletable in March 2026, and the May 2026 settlement imposed consent pop-ups and a simple opt-out. Monetization kept escalating: full-frame power-on video ads were announced and home-screen inventory went programmatic worldwide. July-September 2026 brought residential-proxy SDKs found in webOS apps, owner-facing wiretap and arbitration terms, and a Gamers Nexus teardown of LG's network scanning and voice data that LG disputes.
Alternatives
Apple's set-top box runs tvOS with no ad injection into your TV signal, app-only advertising (consented and contained), and Apple's stronger privacy framework for data use. Hard switch — requires purchasing Apple TV 4K hardware ($130+) and using it as an external device, effectively bypassing webOS. The best option for users who want to keep their LG display while escaping the platform's ACR tracking and ad ecosystem.
The most popular dedicated streaming device. Roku also shows ads and collects ACR data, but it lets you turn off recommended content, and because the platform is not baked into the display hardware you are not tied to a specific TV manufacturer. Moderate switch — purchase a Roku device ($30-100) and use it as your primary input instead of webOS. You'll have a split remote situation.
Dimensional Breakdown
Summaries below were written by AI agents based on the cited evidence. They are editorial interpretations, not independent research findings.
Dimension History
Timeline (57 events)
LG Embeds YuMe Ad SDK in Smart TVs
LG Electronics partnered with YuMe to roll out an ad-serving platform for its Smart TVs, with an embedded YuMe SDK that lets app developers integrate ads, plus ad units on the home page and search functions; Toyota was the first video advertiser. MediaPost reported it was the first time LG had brought an embedded ad platform into its devices, predating the webOS platform.
LG Acquires webOS from HP for Smart TVs
LG Electronics acquired the webOS software, licenses and the team working on it from HP, which had bought Palm for $1.2 billion in 2010. Financial terms were not disclosed. LG said it planned to use webOS only in its smart TVs, not in phones.
LG Smart TVs Found Collecting Data Without Consent
A British blogger discovered that LG Smart TVs were transmitting viewing habits and USB filenames in clear text to LG servers, even when the 'Collection of watching info' setting was turned off. LG initially stated the behavior was covered by its terms of service before acknowledging the issue and promising a software fix.
webOS TV Platform Launches at CES 2014
LG unveiled its first webOS-powered smart TVs at CES 2014. Early hands-on coverage praised the responsive, uncomplicated interface and its multitasking launcher, and LG said all of its 2014 smart TVs would run webOS.
LG Ties Smart TV Features to Viewing-Data Privacy Consent
A firmware update pushed new Terms of Use and a Privacy Policy to some LG Smart TVs asking owners to consent to collection of 'viewing information' (channels and programs watched, search terms, playback actions, input source). The policy said users who did not agree would not have access to all Smart TV services, and blogger Jason Huntley hit a consent pop-up when he tried to open YouTube.
LG Channels Free Ad-Supported Streaming Launches
LG launched LG Channels, its free ad-supported streaming (FAST) service, in Korea in 2015. Built into webOS and later expanded to 33 countries with over 4,000 channels, it established an advertising revenue stream integrated directly into the TV platform.
LG Brings ThinQ AI to webOS TVs at CES 2018
LG introduced ThinQ artificial intelligence across its 2018 AI TV lineup, combining webOS with Google Assistant and voice commands that can control TV functions and other connected IoT devices on the home network. The integration positioned LG TVs as hubs of LG's connected-home ecosystem, raising the cost of leaving it.
FlatpanelsHD Publishes Guide to Disabling Smart TV ACR Tracking
FlatpanelsHD published a guide to disabling ACR tracking across major smart TV brands, noting that consent is often buried in terms and conditions. On LG webOS TVs, turning off 'Viewing Information', 'Personalized Advertising' and 'Voice Information' required going to Settings > All Settings > General > About This TV > User Agreements.
US Senators Request FTC Investigation of Smart TV Privacy
Senators Edward Markey and Richard Blumenthal asked the FTC to investigate smart TV manufacturers' privacy practices, warning that TVs can track what users watch without sufficient disclosure. The letter referenced the FTC's 2017 Vizio settlement over viewing-data collection, putting all smart TV makers on notice.
First Home Screen Banner Ads Appear on webOS
LG began selling native ad units in the webOS launcher bar, making an ad the first thing users see when turning on their TV or pressing the home button. The ads were sold through Tremor Video and initially available only on 2019 webOS models. This marked the transformation of the home screen from a utility to an advertising surface.
LG Acquires Controlling Stake in Alphonso for $80M
LG Electronics invested nearly $80 million for a controlling stake of more than 50% in Alphonso, a TV data and ACR measurement firm. LG said it would use Alphonso's data analytics, media planning and activation tools to build an owned-and-operated, cross-device advertising platform for LG TVs and the wider smart TV market, giving it direct ownership of the ACR data pipeline behind targeted advertising.
webOS 6.0 Replaces Launcher with Full-Screen Home
LG announced webOS 6.0 for 2021 TVs, replacing the compact bottom launcher bar with a full-screen 'New Home' interface showing apps, content recommendations, weather widgets, and sponsored content. LG called it the most significant update to webOS since launch. The redesign prioritized content discovery and advertising surfaces over the clean minimalism that defined original webOS.
Consumer Reports Documents Smart TV Opt-Out Complexity
Consumer Reports published a guide to turning off ACR and other data collection on smart TVs, including LG's webOS, updated through October 2025. It says declining data collection is tricky during initial setup and harder later; LG's controls for Viewing Information, Voice Information and cross-device advertising sit under Settings > Support > Privacy & Terms > User Agreements, with a 'Select All' option that enables them all.
LG Opens webOS Platform to Third-Party TV Brands
LG announced it would license its webOS TV platform to other TV manufacturers, with over twenty partners committed at launch including RCA, Ayonz and Konka. The program extended LG's platform, LG Channels and content services beyond its own hardware, creating dependencies for smaller manufacturers on LG's platform while increasing the addressable market for LG's advertising business.
Alphonso Rebrands as LG Ads
Alphonso, majority-owned by LG since January 2021, rebranded as LG Ads, offering connected TV ad inventory and TV data for targeting, measurement and attribution across about 20 million U.S. smart TV and connected devices. LG's worldwide smart TV footprint was more than 120 million sets, and TV partners for LG Ads included Sharp, Hisense, Toshiba and Seiki. The rebrand signaled LG's commitment to building advertising into a core business pillar.
LG Exits Smartphone Business After $4.5B in Losses
LG announced it would wind down its mobile phone division by July 31, 2021, after nearly six years of losses totaling some $4.5 billion. LG said the exit would let it focus resources on growth areas such as electric vehicle components, connected devices and smart homes.
LG Rolls Out Its Own ACR Globally; LG Ad Solutions Becomes Exclusive Data Seller
LG Ad Solutions announced a global rollout of its proprietary automatic content recognition technology on LG smart TVs across 27 countries in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Australia, replacing legacy ACR (it was already active on U.S. sets). As of September 2022, LG Ad Solutions became the exclusive provider of all LG connected-TV ad inventory and data worldwide, offering brands household-level frequency, conquesting and measurement data.
webOS Hub Reaches 200 Third-Party TV Brands
LG launched webOS Hub, an upgraded version of its webOS solution for third-party partners, available to 200 partner brands including Seiki, Eko, Konka, Aiwa and Hyundai, a tenfold increase from when LG began licensing webOS in early 2021. LG said over 120 million devices in 150 countries ran webOS. The expansion embedded LG's platform and content services into a growing share of the TV market beyond LG's own hardware.
LG Ousts Alphonso's CEO and Executive Chairman
LG pushed out LG Ad Solutions (Alphonso) CEO Raghu Kodige and co-founder and executive chairman Ashish Chordia, installing Adam Sexton as acting CEO. AdExchanger reported the unit had made roughly $100 million in 2021 and nearly $300 million in 2022, and noted the shake-up could keep the division from exercising its option to go public within five years of the 2021 deal.
webOS Hub 2.0S Expands to Smart Monitors; Over 300 Brands
LG announced that webOS Hub 2.0S for third-party brands, released for TVs in September 2023, was expanding to smart monitors, and said over 300 brands had integrated webOS Hub into their products over the previous three years. The expansion into monitors extended LG's platform and content reach into new device categories.
The Markup Investigation Exposes Smart TV Tracking
The Markup published an investigation and opt-out guide for smart TV ACR tracking, noting that ACR TVs can capture and identify about 7,200 images per hour. It found that LG required users to accept all user agreements, including viewing information, voice and cross-device advertising, to use any smart features, that turning off LG's ACR-powered 'Live Plus' took 27 clicks, and that LG offered no way to opt out of ACR or ad targeting on its website.
LG Commits to Four-Year webOS Re:New Update Program
LG announced the webOS Re:New program, pledging four webOS version upgrades over five years for new TV lineups. While framed as consumer-friendly, the program also ensured continued firmware access to older TVs for delivering advertising updates and data collection features to the existing installed base.
Delaware Court Finds LG Removed Alphonso Founders in Bad Faith
After a two-day trial, Vice Chancellor Nathan Cook of the Delaware Court of Chancery held that the removal of Alphonso's founders from its board was invalid and that they keep a right to appoint directors. Per plaintiffs' counsel, the court found LG-affiliated directors fired the founders in December 2022 as part of a bad-faith scheme to eliminate their director-appointment rights and LG's obligations to give minority holders liquidity at fair market value through tender offers or an IPO.
LG Withholds webOS 24 from Older TVs for One Year
LG announced that webOS 24 updates for 2023 and older TVs would be delayed by a full year behind new hardware, effectively reserving interface improvements, Chromecast support, and other features as incentives for hardware upgrades. The practice drew criticism as artificial obsolescence applied to software.
Critical webOS Security Vulnerabilities Patched
LG released patches for four critical webOS vulnerabilities (CVE-2023-6317 through CVE-2023-6320) affecting versions 4 through 7, which allowed authentication bypass and remote root access. Over 91,000 devices were found exposed to the internet. The vulnerabilities had been disclosed to LG in November 2023, but patches were not released until March 2024, a four-month delay.
LG Acquires Smart Home Platform Athom
LG Electronics acquired an 80% stake in Athom, the Dutch maker of the Homey smart home hub supporting over 50,000 device types. The acquisition deepened LG's ecosystem lock-in strategy by integrating third-party IoT devices into the ThinQ platform, extending data collection and platform control beyond televisions.
UCL-Led Study Finds LG ACR Tracks Linear TV and HDMI Inputs
A peer-reviewed study by researchers at University College London, UC Davis and UC3M (ACM IMC 2024) audited ACR traffic on LG and Samsung TVs. It noted LG's own documentation says its ACR captures frames every 10 milliseconds and observed LG TVs sending ACR traffic every 15 seconds. ACR was active for linear TV and when the TV was used as a display for HDMI devices such as consoles and laptops, but not for third-party apps like Netflix; opting out stopped ACR traffic.
LG Introduces Screensaver Ads on 2024 OLED TVs
LG began showing full-screen screensaver ads on its 2024 premium OLED TVs, including the flagship G4 model. The ads appear after the TV has been idle, turning even $2,000+ premium displays into advertising surfaces during moments when the TV is not actively being watched. The 'Screen Saver Promotion' toggle was enabled by default.
Screensaver Ads Retroactively Pushed to Older LG OLEDs
LG expanded screensaver ads to older TV models dating back to at least 2020 via webOS updates. The ads were not part of the TVs when purchased, and the firmware updates introduced them without mentioning the new ad function in release notes. Tech media outlets lowered their ratings for LG TVs in response.
LG Announces Future Vision 2030 with webOS Platform Growth
LG Electronics announced an organizational restructuring to propel its Future Vision 2030 strategy, renaming its TV unit the Media Entertainment Solution Company and integrating TVs, monitors and signage to expand platform-based service businesses. LG said webOS, primarily used in smart TVs, would be broadened to monitors, signage and in-vehicle infotainment systems and evolve into an integrated content and services platform.
LG Commits to Minimum Dividends and Treasury Share Cancellation
LG Electronics said it would retire about 761,000 treasury shares in 2025 and return more than 25% of consolidated net profit to shareholders for fiscal 2024-2026, up from a 20% payout ratio, paying dividends twice a year totaling at least KRW 1,000 per share annually. The move followed a value-up program unveiled in October 2024.
webOS 25 Introduces AI Concierge and AI Search
LG's 2025 TVs launched with webOS 25 features including AI Concierge, which recommends shows and keywords based on viewing patterns, and AI Search powered by large language models. These features layer AI-driven recommendations over existing ACR-powered content curation, with no transparency into how recommendations are generated.
webOS Ad and Content Revenue Exceeds KRW 1 Trillion in 2024
At CES 2025, CEO William Cho's strategy briefing said LG's webOS-based advertising and content business exceeded its KRW 1 trillion (about $700M) revenue target in 2024. LG said its platform-based service business aims to grow revenue more than fivefold by 2030 to account for 20% of total operating profit.
LG Faces TCPA Class Action for Unsolicited Text Messages
A federal class action (McGonigle v. LG Electronics U.S.A.) was filed on January 11, 2025, in the Eastern District of Virginia alleging LG violated the TCPA by sending unsolicited marketing texts promoting its 2024 Labor Day TV and appliance deals to consumers listed on the National Do-Not-Call Registry. The case was transferred to the District of New Jersey in April 2025 and dismissed with prejudice after a settlement in October 2025.
Delaware Supreme Court Affirms Ruling Against LG in Alphonso Dispute
The Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the Court of Chancery's post-trial decision that LG invalidly removed Alphonso's founders from the board, upholding the stockholders' agreement that protects minority holders' director and liquidity rights, including an IPO option.
LG Unveils 3D Home Screen Ads and BrightLine Partnership
At IAB NewFronts, LG Ad Solutions announced first-of-their-kind 3D native home screen ads and an expanded partnership with BrightLine for interactive ad formats including gamified ads, QR codes, and add-to-cart shoppable functionality. The new formats transformed the TV home screen into a full-funnel commerce channel.
webOS Hub Surpasses 600 Brands with webOS Hub 3.0
LG launched webOS Hub 3.0 for third-party brands and said over 600 brands had joined the webOS Hub ecosystem over the past five years. The licensing program spans TVs and other displays, embedding LG's platform and ad-tech infrastructure across a growing share of the display market beyond LG's own hardware.
LG Ad Solutions Named to Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Companies
LG Ad Solutions ranked in the top 50 for Advertising, Marketing and PR and the top 700 overall on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies. It cited operations in 130+ markets with ACR data coverage in 38 countries and over 100% year-over-year growth in its home screen ad formats.
LG Extends Voluntary Retirement Companywide After TV Unit Loss
LG Electronics widened a voluntary retirement program it had opened in its TV division the month before, after the Media Entertainment Solution division swung to a KRW 191.7 billion operating loss in Q2 2025. The companywide program targeted employees in their 50s and underperformers, offering up to three years' salary in severance plus tuition support; it was LG's first broad buyout since 2023.
Paramount Australia Integrates Live Channels into LG Channels
Paramount Australia and LG formed a partnership integrating IPTV linear feeds of 10, 10 Drama, 10 Comedy and Nickelodeon into LG Channels, with tile placements for Paramount's streaming apps on the LG home launcher bar and 10's streaming metadata integrated into webOS. LG Australia also sponsored MasterChef Australia.
TCPA Text-Message Suit Against LG Settled and Dismissed
McGonigle v. LG Electronics U.S.A., the TCPA suit over 2024 Labor Day marketing texts, had been transferred from Virginia to the District of New Jersey in April 2025. After a notice of settlement in August 2025, the court entered an order of dismissal with prejudice on October 8, 2025.
Alphonso Founders Sue LG for $1.5B Over Ad-Tech Takeover
Eight Alphonso co-founders and shareholders filed suit on November 10, 2025, in Santa Clara County Superior Court alleging LG systematically dismantled contractual protections, siphoned over $500 million from Alphonso to LG over four years through amended inventory agreements, and delayed a contractually required IPO. The plaintiffs seek compensatory damages estimated to exceed $1.5 billion plus treble and punitive damages.
LG Positions Home Screen as CTV's Fastest-Growing Ad Surface
LG Ad Solutions reported 60% year-over-year growth in general-market advertisers on the home screen by November 2025, positioning it as 'CTV's fastest-growing opportunity for brand attention.' The report demonstrated how the home screen had been fully converted from a user utility into a premium advertising inventory.
Texas AG Sues LG Over ACR Surveillance Practices
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued LG Electronics alongside Samsung, Sony, Hisense, and TCL, alleging unlawful data collection through ACR technology that captures screenshots every 500 milliseconds and transmits data without meaningful consent. Penalties could reach $10,000 per violation, escalating to $250,000 for violations affecting residents aged 65+.
LG Force-Installs Microsoft Copilot on webOS TVs
A webOS firmware update added a Microsoft Copilot tile to LG Smart TVs from 2022 onwards with no option to uninstall it, only to hide it. LG said it was a shortcut icon to Microsoft's web-based Copilot rather than an embedded app. A Reddit post about the forced installation drew over 35,000 upvotes on r/mildlyinfuriating, and LG later said it would let users delete the shortcut.
LG Announces First Share Buyback and 35% Dividend Increase
LG Electronics' board approved a KRW 100 billion share repurchase, its first with an explicit shareholder-value purpose, under a two-year KRW 200 billion return framework, and raised total 2025 dividends 35% to KRW 243.9 billion. LG had cancelled 761,427 treasury shares in July 2025.
LG Enables Copilot Deletion After User Backlash
Following viral backlash over the December 2025 forced installation, LG quietly enabled full deletion of the Microsoft Copilot app via firmware update (version 33.30.92 on the C5). Users could previously only hide the app icon. The reversal came roughly two months after LG committed to restoring user choice in response to a Reddit thread with 36,000+ upvotes.
LG Unveils Full-Frame Startup Video Ads at NewFronts
At the 2026 IAB NewFronts, LG Ad Solutions announced a 'seamless home screen experience' integrating full-frame video ads into the TV interface at the moment of power-on, rolling out across LG's global footprint later in 2026. Home screen ad inventory became programmatically accessible globally, and the Anoki ContextIQ tool extended contextual ad targeting into live news programming.
Record Q1 2026 Earnings Driven by webOS Platform Growth
LG Electronics posted record first-quarter consolidated revenue of KRW 23.73 trillion and operating profit of KRW 1.67 trillion. LG said continued growth in platform, subscription and online sales businesses supported earnings, and that its strategically important webOS platform business maintained strong growth.
LG Runs Voluntary Retirement Program for Second Straight Year
LG Electronics opened voluntary retirement across all divisions for a second year, aimed mainly at long-serving staff and employees without assignments, with up to three years' salary in severance. The previous year's programs cost an estimated KRW 300-400 billion and pushed LG into its first quarterly loss in nine years in Q4 2025.
Texas AG Settlement Mandates ACR Consent Reforms
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a settlement resolving the December 2025 ACR surveillance lawsuit against LG. LG agreed to stop collecting viewing data without informed consent, display pop-up disclosures on TVs and its website, provide a clear and simple opt-out, and prohibit viewing-data transfers to the Chinese Communist Party. LG became the second of the five sued manufacturers to settle, after Samsung; no monetary penalty was disclosed.
LG TV Terms Make Owners Responsible for Wiretap-Law Consent
Section 6(d) of LG's updated terms of service, 'Voice Recognition and Privacy Compliance', makes TV owners responsible for obtaining consent from anyone whose voice the product may capture and for notifying household members and guests that their voices may be captured and processed, in compliance with wiretapping and eavesdropping laws. LG told TechRadar its TVs do not collect, record or store ambient conversations.
LG to Suspend webOS Apps That Turn TVs Into Residential Proxies
After security firm Spur found residential-proxy SDKs, which let third parties route internet traffic through a user's TV, in more than 42% of apps on LG's webOS store, LG said it was working with developers to remove the option and would suspend apps that did not comply. Bright Data accounted for most of the proxy SDKs found.
LG Updates U.S. Arbitration Terms After First Gamers Nexus Report
LG updated its U.S. arbitration terms on July 28, 2026, days after Gamers Nexus's first LG report. Decrypt reported the change added a forced-arbitration clause to LG's TV and account terms that blocks buyers from suing in court or joining a class action.
webOS 26 Begins Rolling Out to Older LG TVs
Under its webOS Re:New program, LG began rolling out webOS 26 to 2025 models starting with the G5 OLED, with 2022-2024 models due later in 2026 or early 2027. The update adds a redesigned Home Hub, a child mode and AI features, but removes 360 VR browser support and breaks some enthusiast calibration tools, and cannot be rolled back.
Gamers Nexus Teardown Alleges LG TVs Map Home Networks and Retain Voice Data
A 135-minute Gamers Nexus investigation with Level1Techs and independent researchers examined four U.S. LG webOS units. It reported TVs enumerating devices on the home network (38 on one), collecting nearby Wi-Fi network details and location, sending roughly 4 GB of ACR data a month, and keeping plaintext voice transcripts, including audio captured in standby and uploaded after reconnection. LG denied recording ambient conversations, but confirmed the device scanning as a standard function.
LG Publishes Statement Disputing TV Spying Claims
LG said speech is processed only after a wake word or a remote-button press, that standby wake-word audio is handled locally and deleted, and that ACR uses audio fingerprinting rather than screenshots. It said ACR, voice recognition and interest-based ads are optional and off by default. LG acknowledged that ACR-related data may be shared with LG Ad Solutions and may count as a 'sale' or 'sharing' of personal information under some privacy laws.
Evidence (52 citations)
D1: User Value Erosion
D2: Business Customer Exploitation
D3: Shareholder Extraction
D4: Lock-in & Switching Costs
D5: Twiddling & Algorithmic Opacity
D6: Dark Patterns
D7: Advertising & Monetization Pressure
D8: Competitive Conduct
D9: Labor & Governance
D10: Regulatory & Legal Posture
Scoring Log (7 entries)
Checked 95 items + prose. 36 verified, 34 corrected (18 date-only), 22 re-sourced, 3 removed (1 unsupported, 2 duplicates). Invented (contradicted): Alphonso deal '200+ million TV installed base' (LG/MediaPost: ~120M in 2021-22); D3 'A$2.2B, ~20% of total revenue' from webOS (LG: KRW 87.7T revenue vs ~KRW 1T webOS). lgnewsroom.com domain lost by LG; 9 URLs re-sourced. Fixed screensaver-ad expansion date (Oct 2024), UCL ACR study scope, Dev Mode limit, Alphonso revenue timing, subscription misattribution, $1 trillion -> KRW 1 trillion in description.
54→50. Since Jul 2026 (and over the last 12 months): Copilot force-install then rollback, Texas ACR settlement (May 2026), startup video ads and global programmatic home screen announced, Spur found residential-proxy SDKs in 42% of webOS apps (LG suspending them), July 2026 terms shifting wiretap consent to owners and updated arbitration terms, Sept 2026 Gamers Nexus network-scanning/voice teardown (LG confirms scanning, denies ambient recording), first LG buyback and +35% dividend, voluntary retirement rounds, TCPA case settled/dismissed Oct 2025. D1 7→6 (recalibration: banners can be disabled, strong reviews, webOS 26 updates to old sets; core use not harder). D2 5→4 (recalibration: gatekeeping and paid placement but no documented fee squeeze). D3 6→5 (correction: fact audit removed invented '20% of revenue' webOS claim; returns modest vs criteria). D4 5→4 (recalibration: HDMI bypass makes platform switching cheap). D5 6→7 (event: Sept 2026 teardown, LG-confirmed device scanning feeding LG Ad Solutions; Spur proxy SDKs). D8 4→3 (recalibration: no antitrust, vertical acquisitions only). D6, D7, D9, D10 unchanged. Eras: 7→6. 'webOS TV Launch' re-dated 2014-01-01→2014-01-06; 'Smart TV Growth' re-dated 2017-01-01→2018-01-08 (ThinQ AI at CES 2018) and relabeled 'ThinQ AI Expansion'; 'Home Screen Monetization' re-dated 2019-06-01→2019-03-01 (launcher ads); 'Ad-Tech Acquisition Era' re-dated 2021-06-01→2021-01-06 (Alphonso); 'Screensaver Ad Expansion' re-dated 2024-01-01→2024-09-25 and relabeled 'Screensaver Ad Push'; 'Forced Software Era' (2026-02-12, assessment date) and 'Regulatory Settlement Era' (2026-07-02, rescore date) merged and re-dated to 2025-12-15 (Copilot force-install + Texas suit) as 'Copilot and ACR Scrutiny'. Category 'Smart TV Platforms' fine. Lead not used: AdGuard-only claim of ad banners over HDMI input (unverified).
Removed typed-in site scores from alternatives text (they go stale on re-score; the page shows live scores). No other changes.
Periodic rescore: Texas AG ACR settlement (May 2026, consent pop-ups + clear opt-out) and Copilot deletion rollback moved D6 6→5 and D10 6→5; full-frame startup video ads announced at NewFronts kept D7/D1 in band. 56→54, trajectory worsening→stable.
Fixed Roku description — falsely claimed better scores than LG webOS when Roku actually scores 61 vs 56 (worse overall)