Telly, a hardware startup, today announced that it has begun sending TVs to its initial group of clients. Telly is giving American consumers free dual screen smart TVs that are supported by advertising. The business did not specify how many TVs it had sent, only that the clients in this initial wave have been invited to take part in its beta program.
The reason the TVs are free is because of the ongoing advertisements that are shown on the smaller second screen that is situated beneath the 55-inch 4K TV. You essentially have to exchange your personal information and watching statistics for the TV. Users are required to provide Telly with specific information about themselves, including their name, age, gender, home address, ethnicity, watching preferences, and shopping patterns.
According to Variety, customers must concur to the terms of service of the business. In the event that someone violates the terms of service, Telly has the right to request that the TV be returned or face a $1,000 fee charged to the credit card linked to the customer’s account.
Ilya Pozin, CEO of Telly, reported to TechCrunch last month that 250,000 people signed up for free TVs in the first two weeks after sign-ups began. Two-thirds of Telly sign-ups, according to Telly, were made up of Gen Z and Millennial customers.
By the end of the year, the business intends to send 500,000 free TVs to clients.
In a statement released today, Telly said that it will be collaborating with Nielsen to “collect and interpret first-of-its-kind viewership and ad effectiveness insights” for TV programmers and marketers. Telly also collaborates with Microsoft, Magnite, and MNTN to power the second-screen advertisements.
The far right corner of the second screen is constantly filled with ads. A news ticker that scrolls across the bottom is another advertisement structure. According to Telly, the commercials are interactive, and viewers can interact with them using their remote. In addition to serving as the control panel, the second screen also shows advertisements and has other functions like as channel switching, brightness control, volume control, and more. The second screen cannot be turned off, however you may adjust the brightness so that it is less distracting while you are in a dark environment.
Ilya Pozin, CEO of Telly, said in a statement, “We are excited to start distributing what is by far the smartest television ever developed to consumers.
“The response from the public and the advertising industry has been amazing. The television is entirely free to users thanks to our innovative ad-supported business model, but the most exciting aspect of Telly is the technology that enables our dual-screen television to improve with each update.
Customers are being asked to give up some of their privacy under Telly’s business model in exchange for a free TV.
According to the company, each TV is worth $1,000, so for certain customers who are willing to give up their data in exchange for a free TV, the reward might be worthwhile.
