It’s been there since at least March 2023 as thats when I first come across it.Good news, for the ones who are bothered by this.
Not sure how long this setting has been there, I guess since 17.2. But you can now stop the autoplay of video when browsing in the store or in ATV+ sections. They've typically placed it under accessibility rather than having it in the app control section...
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Apple TV 4K Owners Thread
I know it’s a pain to do, but have you tried a factory reset and set-up as new of the ATV? No I haven’t. Think it will do anything?
www.avforums.com