The Telly company is convinced of the concept. It therefore offers a television set worth 1,000 dollars, approximately 930 euros, to anyone who agrees to receive unlimited advertising.
Would you like a TV worth around 930 euros for free? We’re talking about a 55-inch 4K Smart TV (smart TV), comes with an Android adapter to watch your favorite apps, equipped with more than a soundbar, a built-in camera, like a computer, to Zoom calls, a microphone to give him orders, like with Alexa and even a motion sensor to play interactive video games, all without spending a penny. In exchange, and what really makes the difference with other televisions at the same price, is the second screen installed, under the sound bar.
This second screen is as wide but less high than the main screen. On the left, we see information displayed, the date, the temperature, sports results, an information banner, a bit like the dashboard of a car. And on the right, a square screen broadcasts non-stop advertising, even when the television is off. The device is able to recognize what you are watching on the main screen to be able to display advertisements related to this content, and therefore better able to hold the consumer’s attention.
Telly is watching you
Behind this idea, a company called “Telly”, (this is the British word for TV), and Ilya Pozin, a young entrepreneur. He had a similar idea before. It was he who created Pluto TV, a streaming platform, again free, because it is entirely financed by advertising. Pluto TV was acquired in 2019 for $340 million by Paramount, one of the major Hollywood studios, which gives Ilya Pozin some credibility. At the time, everyone said we were completely crazy, he recalls.
Telly reportedly raised over $100 million. And Pozin is very transparent: to have this free television, you must indicate your demographic category and that of the inhabitants of the household.
“We know who you are, where you live, how much you earn, what car you drive.”
Ilya Pozin, creator of Tellyat franceinfo
Even if everything remains anonymous, we are assured at Telly. “We know your favorite brands, your favorite teams”. And the example he gives of effectiveness for an advertiser is that if Toyota is trying to advertise to people who drive a Honda, Telly can do it.
And why not a TV that also acts as a smart speaker?
Telly is aiming for 500,000 televisions sold by the end of this year. The company expects the concept to appeal to a lot of people. To those who think the idea is crazy, the American press reminds us that already today, smart TV brands are able to offer low-cost televisions because they include advertising. According to the Lowpass website, [article en anglais]the Vizio brand makes an average profit of just three dollars per TV sold but generates almost $30 per user with its integrated technologies for advertising and data collection.
In addition, a modern television, you don’t just turn it on, change the channel and turn it off. So Telly is working on other applications with this double screen which would become an interactive object to replace, why not, the smart speakers of the home, with contests to win gift cards, order a pizza or place a bet. Afterwards, if some decide to stick a piece of paper or a photo on the screen to hide the advertisement, will Telly be able to detect it?