On May 15th, Telly opened up its reservation list, giving away free televisions to the first 500,000 customers. Within the first 36 hours, Telly had over 100,000 new customers sign up, most of whom are Gen Z and Millennials. Now they have received more than 250,000 people who want a free TV. Now Telly says they have started to ship their free 4K TVs to users. Though if you break the rules, you will be charged up to $1,000.
“Interest in Telly has surpassed even our most optimistic projections. In our first 36 hours, we had more than 100,000 people register for the ultimate free television upgrade for the living room, without spending a single dollar on marketing, and we’re just getting started! We averaged nearly a signup per second, which shows just how much excitement there is for both the groundbreaking dual-screen design and for the new ad-supported business model Telly is introducing to the market,” said Ilya Pozin, CEO and Founder of Telly.
According to Variety, if you want a free TV you will need to put a credit card on file with them and agree to some rules. These rules include you must never modify the TV, use ad blockers, or attached devices that are not approved to the TV. Also the TV must be used as your primary TV and always be kept connected to the internet.
If you break these rules Telly can ask for the TV to be returned or charge you up to $1,000.
Telly’s Dual Screen Smart TV offers streaming films and series through users’ favorite apps in addition to gaming, music, video calling, and even a fitness studio feature. The second smart screen contains widgets for content enrichment, including smart home features, music, news, sports, and weather updates. Telly promises the second screen will be non-invasive, but rather it will be engaging and dedicated to consumer-selected content.
Those who sign up for this deal will be asked to complete a short survey designed to both provide more relevant advertising experiences which also pays for the free (to the customer) Telly Dual Screen Smart TV. Some people have thought this survey was asking for too personal of information for them to feel comfortable signing up, but 100,000 others and counting thought it a fair trade-off.
“For advertisers, it’s clear that Telly appeals to the most coveted audience every brand is trying to reach today: younger, higher-educated homes with larger household incomes that, because of cord-cutting behaviors, are increasingly difficult to reach across legacy TVs. Two-thirds of those signing up for a Telly are Gen Z and Millennial households who live their lives across multiple screens today and are eager to have a TV in the living room that matches their lifestyle,” says Pozin.