is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.
The last few months, I’ve felt like I’m living in a cyberpunk movie. Each night, when I get ready to wind down, I reach for the remote to turn on a TV I got for free. When I hit the power button, a 55-inch screen lights up, but so does a smaller display beneath it. Widgets fill the secondary screen alongside a rotating ad that you can’t dismiss.
Before I can even navigate to the Netflix app, I hear something. “Hello, hello friends!” A smiling woman appears on the screen wearing a gray dress, her brown hair neatly styled into gentle waves. It’s the host of the TV’s built-in news segment, which uses the AI likeness of actress Alison Fiori to deliver today’s top stories on a loop.
This is the future of TV, according to Telly, a company that offers a free TV in exchange for the privilege of constantly blaring ads in your face. It puts the ads in a 10-inch-wide “smart” display that sits just below a built-in sound bar and runs the entire length of the TV. The screen stays on at all times — while you watch shows, movies, YouTube videos, and play video games. Even when you turn off the TV with a tap of the remote’s power button, the secondary screen remains illuminated. It will only turn off if you hold the power button for three seconds.
The bottom display shows you everything from sports scores, the current weather, and stock prices. Photo by Emma Roth / The Verge
Despite my attempts to tune out the lower display, video ads and moving widgets draw my eyes in. Along with displaying the date, time, and current weather conditions, it shows a constant stream of headlines in a news ticker, plus stock prices and even links to news stories from outlets like Fox News, which you can click into and read on the top screen. You can remove or add widgets, but there’s no way to get rid of the ad on the right side that refreshes every so often. Under Telly’s terms of service, you can’t cover up the display. Even if you tried, it just wouldn’t be practical, since you need the secondary screen to navigate to different apps and control inputs. There are settings you can use to decrease the brightness of the secondary display’s backlight, but I found that turning it down to “0” doesn’t make much of a difference.
Some of the ads shown on the bottom screen prompt you to scan a QR code, or will show a prompt to press a button on your remote to move it up to the top display for more information. The ads often appear as videos, which can draw your eyes away from what’s on the screen even more. There is no sound for video ads, but Telly will still display small subtitles that are hard to read if you’re far away from the TV. I’ve seen a range of ads on the little screen, such as some from Sunglasses Hut and Old Navy, as well as location-specific commercials from a nearby crematorium and car dealerships. I saw these no matter what I was watching — whether it was 90 Day Fiancé, Carême, or Law & Order reruns. The ads just kept rolling.
To reserve a Telly, you must agree to use the device as the main TV in your home, constantly keep it connected to the internet, and regularly watch it. If the company finds that you violate these rules, Telly will ask you to return the TV (and charge a $500 fee if you don’t send it back). I’m not sure how strictly Telly tracks the usage of its TVs. At one point, I left my TV unplugged for three weeks while away from home and received no warning from Telly.
The ads just keep rolling. Photo by Emma Roth / The Verge
“We’re not here to micromanage short-term dips but to ensure Telly continues to be a great fit over time,” Dallas Lawrence, Telly’s chief strategy officer, told The Verge. “And if it ever stops being the right match, we’ll pick it up at no cost.”
... continue reading