It is a problem, my shield tv started having ads on the home page, but I was able to install a new launcher on it to fix that.
Overall having a media player plugged in to a disconnected tv is the way to go. It is easier to replace a chromecast than the whole tv.
I think I am using the wolf launcher. I have it set up pretty minimally. 95% of the time I just use it to launch Jellyfin.