Pluto TV’s Founder Has New Startup That Gives Away Free Smart TVs, But There’s a Catch
Earlier this week, The Streamable reported that Pluto TV’s founder Ilya Pozin had created a new TV technology startup called Telly, and was promoting his company by giving away thousands of 55-inch 4K TVs for free. Now, more details about the offer are emerging, including some that may give potentially interested customers pause.
The TVs all feature a second screen, which can be used to show news, sports scores, weather, and stock updates. But on the righthand side, that second screen will feature a dedicated space for ads that will always be on while the TV is on, and cannot be skipped. But that’s not the biggest catch that users will have to deal with in order to get a free TV from Telly.
In order to get one, potential customers have to surrender anonymous, but detailed personal information to Telly, which the company will then sell to advertisers. If you were wondering how Telly had the capital to give away 500,000 large-screen TVs, that question is now answered. This tradeoff is essentially what users agree to when they sign up for a new streaming service, but it is yet another company that will have your personal information with the intention of selling it to advertisers.
Despite these drawbacks, the company saw more than 100,000 people sign up for a free TV in the first 36 hours of the offer, according to Variety. That averages out to nearly one person every second, and Pozin said the numbers surpassed “even our most optimistic expectations.” The company hasn’t spent a single dollar to advertise the program, relying on word-of-mouth to spread about the company giving away free 4K TVs.
The scheme is shaping up to be a veritable gift for advertisers. Not only will they have a second screen on which they can show ads at all times while the TV is on, they will have valuable data from a hard-to-reach segment of the audience: young people.
“It’s clear that Telly appeals to the most coveted audience every brand is trying to reach: younger, higher-educated homes with larger household incomes who, because of cord-cutting behaviors, are increasingly difficult to reach on legacy TVs,” Pozin explained to Variety.
Users who are interested in grabbing a free TV from Telly can head over to freetelly.com to register. If you don’t mind surrendering some of your personal information, you can still sign up for the initial wave of free sets from Telly. Don’t stress if you miss the first round of the giveaway; Telly plans to continue giving away TVs once its initially-manufactured run has been distrubited.