TV’s have gotten more affordable over the years, but how about free?
A startup named Telly is giving away 55-inch, 4K HDR smart TVs for free.
They even have a built-in soundbar.
How, you ask?
Advertising.
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“There’s no catch,” said Ilya Pozin, founder and CEO of Telly. “You get a 55-inch, 4k HDR TV. You get a premium soundbar included by Harman Kardon. Then, it comes with a second screen that’s never been done before, so it’s a dual-screen TV.”
It’s that second screen that makes the TV free. Not only does it show weather, sports scores and more, there’s also advertising 24/7.
I met up with Pozin in Las Vegas to get a hands on demo of the TV and check out the features. It was a higher-quality setup than I expected, and the ads didn’t seem very intrusive, although you can’t miss them.
“You and I would both get different ads depending on who we are as people and where we live and all the different attributes of our profiles,” explained Pozin.
The last company he started was Pluto TV, which proved that streaming services could be free and ad-supported. Free, ad-supported programming is now among the fastest-growing streaming segment.
“Telly wanted to prove the exact same thing that Pluto proved, where you can monetize and build a sustainable business model on just one revenue stream alone. In this case, advertising,” said Pozin.
The ads you see are unique because they’re actionable. There are QR codes to scan and even a special button on the remote you can press to get more information.
The TV has a full web browser that lets you place orders based on the ads you see.
Other unique features of the TV include built-in fitness classes, arcade games and even apps like Zoom. They take advantage of a built-in camera and microphone.
“We don’t actually record, listen, nothing happens in the background. We’re a privacy-first company, and that’s how we’re operating,” said Pozin.
The camera has a physical shutter that closes when it’s not in use.
“We all know when we’re getting digital products there’s a certain privacy you’re giving away but this really takes that to the extreme,” said Philip Swann, author of the website TV Answer Man.
He’s been an outspoken critic of Telly, recommending that people just buy an inexpensive TV instead.
“You can’t just get rid of it, and you just can’t just stop using it, you either have to send it back to them or they’ll charge you … for it,” said Swann.
How much it costs to keep or send back the TV is unknown. At one point the terms and conditions said users would be charged $500 if they kept it, but I couldn’t find a specific number when I checked.
The TVs are currently in thousands of homes with plans to expand, and the wait list is long.
“We’re planning on going into millions of homes this year,” said Pozin.