Is it worth it? Roku has shown you their intentions. Believe them. Sell it now, and buy a TV from a company that makes money by selling TVs.
These pretty much don't exist at the consumer level at all anymore. Two years ago, when I purchased this TV, I searched pretty extensively for consumer level TVs that meet your description.
I found none.
The only option was to move up to commercial market stuff, that is much more expensive, and designed to be on nearly all the time. Seriously, if you have a recommendation for a consumer TV company that makes money by selling TVs, I'm all ears.
I believe them, but I'm also not going to put this TV on some other poor (probably unsuspecting) consumer. No, the TV has become defective, through a deliberate manufacturer's choice, and I'll demand my money back.
As an aside: The other problem with smart TVs is that, even if the TV doesn't currently show you ads, it's one update away from doing so. A friend of mine had that happen with his TV (don't remember which brand), where it had a clean UI when he first bought it and now the home screen is littered with ads.
I'd vastly rather use an Apple TV (or Android equivalent or PS5 or XBox or whatever) than some TV's junky built-in apps anyway.
I thought I just wouldn't connect my Roku-enabled TV to the internet and it would be fine. Turns out that it starts bootlooping after a few months if you don't let it download ads. Can't return it at that point, so you call support... who helps you connect it to the internet. Boot loop goes away, ads download, fine whatever you'll just disconnect it after the call, right? But then after a while it starts bootlooping again, until you let it download ads. Amazingly sinister.
The hell I can't. Most major credit cards include extended warranties that let you return defective items for a year or so after purchase. A TV that can't be used as a TV without purchasing additional 3rd-party services (i.e. Internet access), and that doesn't make that clear at the time of purchase, is defective. I'd let Roku make their case to American Express.
I'm completely serious here. That's defective. I've never seen a TV with "requires Internet access" on the box. There are many millions of households that'd still prefer to watch free OTA broadcasts and have no interest in subscribing to an Internet service. My own mom has no Internet access beyond her iPhone. If her TV stopped working unless she bought it an unnecessary online account, she'd be back in the store raising hell until someone gave her a refund.