Telly’s free TV: new take on ad-supported gear
Ads have supported free TV content for a long time, but one startup is betting they can even subsidize the cost of the television itself.
How it works: Telly, which was started by Pluto TV co-founder Ilya Pozin, is giving away half a million 55-inch 4K televisions — with the condition that recipients also install a separate second display underneath that is constantly showing ads and other information.
- Telly also comes with a soundbar, voice assistant and integrated camera, with the company promising music, video chat, games and fitness services. TV content can come via any traditional cable or satellite TV provider or through a streaming device, such as Fire TV Stick or Roku.
- The required second display sits below the main screen and sound bar and can display stock quotes and sports scores in addition to the mandatory ads. The company uses an obligatory survey done at signup to deliver the targeted advertising — so you are giving at least some data in addition to your attention.
- The company promises to begin shipping the units this summer.
The big picture: The notion of using ads to subsidize tech gear is not a new one. The approach has been tried with cell phones, web-surfing devices and even computers, though more often than not the gadgets have been discounted rather than provided wholly for free.
Between the lines: There’s a lot of fine print, and the company also warns its terms of service could change at any time. If you ever decide the deal isn’t for you, you have to return the TVs.
Πηγή: axios.com
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A free TV with a catch
Ilya Pozin made a bunch of money when Viacom bought Pluto TV, the free video-streaming company he co-founded, for $340 million four years ago. Since exiting Pluto about a year after that deal closed, Pozin has been working on another startup venture — one he thinks will be a much bigger deal.
On Monday, Pozin’s brainchild, Telly, comes out of stealth after two years in development. Telly wants to ship out thousands (and eventually millions) of free 4K HDTVs, which would cost more than $1,000 at retail, according Pozin.
The 55-inch main screen is a regular TV panel, with three HDMI inputs and an over-the-air tuner, plus an integrated soundbar. The Telly TVs don’t actually run any streaming apps that let you access services like Netflix, Prime Video or Disney+; instead, they’re bundled with a free Chromecast with Google TV adapter
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This TV could be your new best friend — but, like, a terrible friend who gossips about you constantly
A company will give away 500k+ 55-inch televisions this summer.
The catch? Well, that’d be the attached 9-inch-tall secondary screen displaying weather, scores, stocks, and… lots and lots of ads.
Omnipresent ads in your home…
… Worth it for a free 4K TV? Telly, Pluto TV founder Ilya Pozin’s latest venture, bets you’ll say yes.
Pozin plans to ship millions of TVs, and his ability to scale shouldn’t be doubted — free streamer Pluto TV has 80m+ monthly users.
Telly will essentially trade TVs for customers’ data, then charge advertisers for the Holy Grail of marketing real estate: non-skippable, targeted living room ad space.
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