With the rise of streaming platforms, users now have multiple ways to watch their favorite content. At first, ads were kept in the background, because through a monthly subscription we could watch movies or TV series from an entire catalog without ads. However, there are many services jumping on the bandwagon of offering cheaper or free plans but including advertising.

One of the platforms that has become a great reference in this sense is Pluto TV, a completely free service that includes a catalog of hundreds of live and on-demand television channels. The price to pay is to ensure the survival of the platform and its business by encountering ads from time to time. It has been proven that many users prefer to access content containing ads if it is free or offered at a lower price. That’s why Telly company wanted to take this idea and take it to the next level: gift a television with a second panel on which advertisements are constantly displayed.

Free content at the expense of our data… The future of television

The startup was founded by Ilya Pozin, co-founder of Pluto TV. This company has evolved 55-inch televisions with 4K resolution and HDR which has an integrated soundbar. Everything is correct so far, but the surprising thing is that these televisions also have a second small screen on which ads will always be played.

“Telly’s business model is entirely based on advertising, user data, and affiliate revenue streams.“says Pozin. In this way, the user will have the opportunity to give their television to play advertising content.

TV planned We are distributing 500,000 televisions completely free of charge To do this, the company has opened a waiting list where users can request one of them. Although the expectation seemed to have diminished, the offer was real.

Television Comes with a dongle with Android TVBecause it does not have an integrated operating system. In this way, Telly offers users the opportunity to view all kinds of content as long as the second panel is active and has ads. Moreover, on this secondary screen we will not only find ads, but also tell us what is being played, the weather, the stock market, etc. We will also provide information about. Additionally, Telly states that the second screen can work independently and become a smart panel for the user.

As Pozin said: Telly’s business also depends on user dataIt is an element that is very valuable for companies and something that the company will try to do business with. In fact, Pozin states that before they buy the television, we will provide them with all our demographic and psychographic data, both at the individual and family level. Although it is an issue that clearly violates the privacy of the user, if we think coldly, it is the present and future of this industry, but this company has not hidden even a single bit of its plans.

“Before you buy the device, you give us your personal and family demographic and psychographic data, so we know who you are, where you live, what your income is, what car you drive and when your lease expires. We know what your brands are. “We know what your favorite sports teams are, so when you bring your TV home for the first time, you scan a QR code with your phone and all the data is already there.”

Telly had already sent a series of televisions to some users as a small trial, and they planned to distribute 500,000 units in 2023. However, while some of these televisions are still on the waiting list, other users have already received them. According to Pozin, their televisions would have been around $1,000 if they hadn’t given them away. Despite the promises made, it is obvious that it is inevitable to approach the offer with skepticism, as we do not know whether the company has the purchasing power to produce these televisions and offer them completely free of charge.

Telly, on the other hand, was not the result of a small campaign like any other Kickstarter project. The company hired professionals from the television and technology industry to develop its product.

“If you remember, at the time everyone thought we were completely crazy because we were launching a linear, ad-supported service where everyone preferred an a la carte subscription service.”

All Smart TV and television operating system providers derive some of their revenue from user data and advertising. Telly would base its business entirely on this concept. A worrying step for the future of television.

Image | television

More information | television

via | Hollywood Reporter

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