Fancy a new TV without paying for it? That’s exactly what one firm is now offering consumers and it could shake up the television market for good. Simply called Telly, this latest gogglebox features a unique dual-screen design which lets users watch content on the main 55-inch 4K screen whilst displaying information, such as weather and football scores, on the smaller panel below.
There’s also an in-built webcam for making family Zoom calls, full hands-free voice controls and a soundbar which comes packed into its shell to make sure the audio is up to scratch.
Telly has been created by Pluto TV founder Ilya Pozin and could give firms such as Samsung and LG a real headache as the first 500,000 people that pre-order get it totally free.
Yes, you did read that correctly, half a million screens will be sent to homes without a penny being paid.
So how is that possible? Telly reckons it will make its money by displaying targeted adverts to owners on that second screen.
The clever part is that those sponsored messages don’t interrupt what you are watching but run underneath the content instead.
“Now, all smart TVs come with ads. But you still pay for the TV,” the firm explained. “All of that changes today. During the signup process, we ask questions about you and your household to optimize your ad experience. Brands in turn, pay for the non-intrusive ad on the Smart Screen. That’s how you get Telly free. Plain and simple. It's time you got cut in on the deal.”
Sadly, this concept is only available in the US for now but if it’s a success then Telly might consider releasing it in more areas across the world.
Other tech firms are sure to be closely watching Telly’s success and it could pave the way for more free dual-screens to launch in the future.
“Telly is the biggest innovation in television since color," said Ilya Pozin, Founder and CEO of Telly. "Telly is a revolutionary step forward for both consumers and advertisers. For too long, consumers have not been an equal part of the advertising value exchange. Companies are making billions of dollars from ads served on televisions, yet consumers have historically had to pay for both the TV and the content they watch. All of that changes today. When I co-founded Pluto TV, we created an entirely new model that offered amazing TV content to viewers for free. Now, with Telly, we are providing the actual television for free as well."
