Autoplay video ads

OK, so this is a HUGE pet peeve of mine: autoplay video ads, especially with sound, that ambush you when you load a page.

It seems that TechRepublic has started adding these. I really really hate these things so much, if they continue with this I will probably abandon TechRepublic.

Am I alone in this? What do other people think? If other people object too, let’s let TechRepublic know so they can find a better way to present advertising (a necessary evil, I freely admit) in a less offensive way.