Telly, a 1000 euro TV for free if you watch the commercials

So far, TV commercials have allowed you to watch movies, sports, TV series, programs of all kinds for free. Soon they could also allow you to have a free TV: or at least this is the idea of ​​Telly, an American startup that expects to distribute half a million sets starting this summer, at the moment only in the USA.

How it’s done

We could imagine it as the union between a smart TV, a smart display and a soundbar: There is a normal TV screen (for now only 55 inches), with 4K, HDR and all that is found today in models around 1000 euro, and underneath is a second screen, about as tall as a smartphone, but as wide as the entire device. It shows advertisements, in a space that is about a quarter of the total, and sports scores, news, weather, announcements and other information and interactive features in the rest. “Even when the main screen is off, you can leave the bottom screen on and it becomes the main device in your home,” explains Telly CEO Ilya Pozin. “We believe that’s what TV should be like in 2023.”

The second screen remains functional even when a movie is played on the larger screen, but the brightness can be reduced to make it less intrusive. In the company’s intentions, it will be possible to use it for home automation controls and to view security cameras, as well as to access the contents of some major television and online information services in real time (we are talking about ongoing negotiations with Bloomberg, CNN and ESPN, among others).

A soundbar with 5 speakers for immersive audio is also integrated into the TV. There is no shortage of a camera and a microphone, to be used for video chats (via Zoom, and then perhaps also through other platforms) and for voice commands: the activation word should be “Hey Telly”. The TV will work via a smart dongle, like Google’s Chromecast, to plug into any of the three HDMI inputs. The operating system is based on Android, so compatibility with a huge range of apps and games is guaranteed, but it will also be possible to use external set top boxes, such as FireTV or Apple TV. There is also a mobile app for installation and additional features.

The business model

Pozin’s idea may seem outlandish, but in reality it only takes the smart TV business model to its logical conclusion. Manufacturers already sell their hardware at slim margins, looking for alternative ways to make money from the devices, such as by inserting proprietary streaming platforms. All this while giants like Netflix, Disney and others partially back off on commercial-free streaming and become more like YouTube.

Telly, on the other hand, builds its own television from advertising, and relies on revenue from targeted ads and data transfers to increase profits. A TV that is truly smart, and that for the first time in two decades seems to aim for radical change.