DirecTV Taps AI to Turn Your Idle TV Into a Shopping Portal

DirecTV is partnering with AI company Glance to replace the screensavers on its Gemini devices with interactive, shoppable content starting in early 2026, a move recently reported by The Verge. The feature aims to transform passive screen time into a "lean-in" e-commerce experience by turning your television into a personalized storefront.

• Your face as a storefront: After ten minutes of inactivity, viewers can scan a QR code to download an app and upload photos of themselves or their family. Glance’s AI then generates custom scenes and videos featuring them, which can be altered with voice commands to change things like the style of an outfit.

• From pixels to purchase: The feature is a new frontier for e-commerce. When the AI generates an image, Glance’s system uses reverse image search to surface similar products for purchase. While discovery happens on the TV, the final transaction must be completed on a mobile device.

• A familiar playbook: Glance's parent company is InMobi, an ad-tech firm known for placing e-commerce software on smartphone lock screens. The move extends this strategy from the device in your hand to the biggest display in your home, turning idle time into a new revenue stream.

This partnership represents a significant push to blur the lines between content and commerce, betting that viewers are willing to engage with personalized, shoppable advertising directly in their living rooms. Meanwhile, the battle for the living room is heating up, as Netflix is also expanding its interactive offerings with a new slate of party games that use smartphones as controllers. Meanwhile, a DirecTV planning document reveals some internal caution, noting that inconsistency in AI adoption may result in only marginal benefits.