Whether you prefer to watch movies at home or in the theatre, there’s always an associated cost. In the theatre, this is in the form of tickets. At home, you’ll need to pay for the subscription service or the movie disk, electricity, and the television itself. With a company named Telly releasing an ad-supported but otherwise free 55-inch 4K TV, the free experience at home is getting ready to take users further than ever.
The Costless Standard
Offering free and heavily discounted experiences to welcome users onto platforms is hardly unique in the new landscape of digital media. As user loyalty becomes increasingly valuable, many different industries are adopting this approach without regard for their immediate financial gain.
Some of the most illustrative examples of this shift of momentum come from the iGaming industry. Modern casino bonuses like the McLuck no deposit bonus offer no purchase bonuses like free coins to give new players more room to explore and find their feet. This is aided afterward by additional bonuses to keep players coming back, generating a feedback loop of possibilities and cheaper access.
“Epic公佈自家遊戲商城 與STEAM競” (Public Domain) by steamXO
The same is seen in the world of gaming software with platforms like the Epic Games Store. This digital marketplace regularly features free AAA titles for players to claim, at great cost to Epic. The thought process is the same, where a bigger customer base is worth more than short-term gain, and this is what Telly is aiming for with its new product.
The TV Situation
Telly’s TV isn’t just a standard TV, it also comes with a smaller bottom screen that can focus on both widgets and ad delivery. It’s these advertisements, combined with a larger-than-normal focus on recording user data metrics that support the device’s use. Essentially, it’s not the TV that’s a product to you, you’re a product to the Telly’s advertisers.
Greater free access to movies returns to the equation when looking at ad-support streaming services like Crackle, The Roku Channel, and Tubi TV. These don’t offer the same number of movie options as traditional movie streaming services, but they still provide thousands of on-demand choices. Combined, this means both the TV and the streaming services used by the TV are free, leading to a situation where only the cost of power will come out of the user’s pocket.
Potential for the Future
Early signups for the Telly have been picked up as soon as they appear, but as for the system’s long-term viability, that much will require greater long-term investigation. Thanks to the software backing the system, Telly also has to worry about crackers finding ways to modify the firmware to turn off advertisements. Ad blocking is already popular on many systems, but the effect on Telly systems would be even more problematic for the developers.
Should Telly succeed, then we could see a situation where more devices start to offer free but ad-supported entry-level options. Smartphones might be the next obvious choice, which could fundamentally reshape market possibilities. At the moment, we’re sure many are just happy to be able to watch movies for free, and even if you don’t want a Telly yourself, that’s a feeling we can all appreciate.
