Telly: Free TV for 500,000 users

For many, a large TV in the living room is indispensable. However, the dream of owning a high-end TV often fails due to lack of money. The manufacturer Telly is obviously aware of this. That’s why the company wants to give away 500,000 models without further ado. But the whole thing won’t work without a quid pro quo from the users.

A free television set from Telly

No one really wanted to believe that Telly actually wants to give away a large number of its televisions. That’s why the whole thing was treated as a questionable rumor for quite some time. Now, however, the company has spoken out about it and actually confirmed that a free TV is in the starting blocks. In theory, of course, this sounds like a no-brainer. After all, who isn’t happy about a free flicker box? But of course Telly doesn’t just have something like that to give away.

However, the manufacturer does not foresee any money in return for its free TV. Rather, the 500,000 devices are supposed to monitor the habits of their users. Based on these, the TVs then play personalized advertising on a second screen. This is located below the actual screen. In general, the TV can be divided into three areas. The third element is a sound bar, which is located between the two screens.

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Egg-laying willow for the living room?

However, the second screen is not only to serve as a digital advertising banner. On top of that, Telly talks about being able to implement widgets here. Thus the user is to have at any time a view of important news or in addition, the weather. If Telly has his way, the free TV will not only be used for binging your favorite series. Instead, it sounds as if the manufacturer wants to make his device the center of the living room. There is also talk of being able to use streaming services here. It is still uncertain whether well-known names like Spotify or Amazon Music will be included. However, they might also be interested in the attractive advertising option. Thanks to the integrated soundbar, the sound should also be good.

While the use of music streaming via the home TV is not really exotic, the feature of video telephony seems rather extraordinarily. Corresponding phone calls are supposed to be possible thanks to an integrated camera. Telly reassures those who are afraid of permanent surveillance. The camera can easily be turned on and off via a slider. This is reminiscent of Amazon’s Echo devices. The other technology sounds promising. The 55-inch main screen is supposed to have a 4K resolution. It is surprising that the now standard smart TV is not supposed to be on board. To eradicate this drawback, the scope of delivery probably includes a matching HDMI stick, which is based on Android TV and should enable the use of classic video streaming services.

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A new financing model

Telly is implementing here what has surely crossed the minds of other TV manufacturers. Thus, the company does without money and finances itself not only by revenue that will pay advertising partners. On top of that, the collected user data should be exceedingly revealing, which should increase the money paid by advertising partners over time. Those who do not want to be monitored will not be able to participate in Telly’s project. Thus, an objection to the data collection leads to the fact that one has to return the device. If one does not comply with the request, the manufacturer should probably be able to collect 500 US dollars. We will soon be able to closely observe how the project will start. The delivery is supposed to start in the summer of 2023. For the time being, the devices will only be delivered in the US. Whether the TV is really worth the extensive data collection is something everyone has to decide for themselves.