Ilya Pozin, the original cofounder behind the ad-supported streaming service Pluto TV, is reportedly building an ad-supported television set that will feature a second screen that displays advertisements.
According to a report from Lowpass, sources claim that TeeVee – the new company from Pozin – will give away its new televisions for free, and the costs involved will be supported by advertising. The TV set itself will feature an all-in-one combination of a “decently-sized” screen, a soundbar, and a second advert-dedicated screen that runs the full width of the TV and is about the height of a cell phone.
That second screen will play adverts relevant to what is being shown on the main screen. It will also feature a number of widgets that allow it to show the local weather, ticker tape-style news headlines, and sports scores. TeeVee is apparently looking to integrate feeds from Bloomberg, CNN, and ESPN into that widget functionality.
TeeVee’s website features nothing but a black square (possibly the ‘silhouette’ of its new TV) and the tagline “Before has never been so jealous of after”, as well as a tease of “coming later this year”. Lowpass reports that the TV will be launched as “Telly”, and the website for that brand currently features the slogan “The biggest thing to happen to TV since color” and a “coming 2023” date. As such, public information on the project is thin on the ground.
Lowpass reports that the launch model may not be a smart TV, but instead come pre-packed with a streaming dongle to provide apps and streaming service access. That doesn’t seem its biggest issue, though: what’s to stop people just getting this free TV and then taping something over the screen to block out the ads? Is there some kind of detector in there? I guess we’ll find out how this wild idea works when TeeVee formally announces the project later this year.
For more on the world of television adaptations, check out Netflix’s ad-supported service and Disney+’s offering, too.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Features Editor.
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