Telly's Ad-Based TVs Ship Notably, But At What Cost?
The startup behind the "free" dual-screen Telly TV has reportedly shipped a respectable 35,000 units as of November 2025. However, despite their initial marketing hype, these "free" TVs are facing numerous issues that have left many owners frustrated.
When Telly first debuted in May 2023, it claimed to be shipping half a million devices by the summer. The company even received over 250,000 pre-orders in June 2023, which seemed like a promising start. However, a more recent report from Lowpass suggests that the startup has only managed to ship a fraction of its planned orders.
The main culprit behind these delays appears to be poor shipping logistics. According to the report, FedEx delivered just 10% of Telly's shipments broken, while the company itself claims that Samsung partner RXO is now delivering units with fewer defects. Nevertheless, dozens of online complaints and Reddit posts indicate that many users have received broken or defective TVs.
This has led some to question the long-term viability of Telly's business model, which relies on shipping millions of units in exchange for user data rather than cash. While the startup claims that its ad-based approach is forward-thinking, many users are concerned about the potential invasive uses of the TV's integrated camera and mic, as well as the repetitive ads that seem to be forever looping.
However, despite these challenges, Telly has reportedly generated a significant amount of revenue from advertising. According to Lowpass, the startup made $22 million in annualized revenue in Q3 2025, which translates to around $52 per TV per month. This is notably higher than what other budget TV brands are reporting.
Telly's investors have been buoyed by this positive news, and the company has recently raised $350 million in debt funding over two rounds. As smart TVs increasingly rely on software-integrated advertisements and user tracking to offset declining hardware margins, Telly's ad-based approach may be starting to show its value.
However, as the leaked investor report highlights, there are still many challenges standing in the way of free, ad-supported TVs. While Telly's early ARPU figures are promising, it remains to be seen whether the startup can overcome its shipping issues and maintain customer satisfaction in the long term.
The startup behind the "free" dual-screen Telly TV has reportedly shipped a respectable 35,000 units as of November 2025. However, despite their initial marketing hype, these "free" TVs are facing numerous issues that have left many owners frustrated.
When Telly first debuted in May 2023, it claimed to be shipping half a million devices by the summer. The company even received over 250,000 pre-orders in June 2023, which seemed like a promising start. However, a more recent report from Lowpass suggests that the startup has only managed to ship a fraction of its planned orders.
The main culprit behind these delays appears to be poor shipping logistics. According to the report, FedEx delivered just 10% of Telly's shipments broken, while the company itself claims that Samsung partner RXO is now delivering units with fewer defects. Nevertheless, dozens of online complaints and Reddit posts indicate that many users have received broken or defective TVs.
This has led some to question the long-term viability of Telly's business model, which relies on shipping millions of units in exchange for user data rather than cash. While the startup claims that its ad-based approach is forward-thinking, many users are concerned about the potential invasive uses of the TV's integrated camera and mic, as well as the repetitive ads that seem to be forever looping.
However, despite these challenges, Telly has reportedly generated a significant amount of revenue from advertising. According to Lowpass, the startup made $22 million in annualized revenue in Q3 2025, which translates to around $52 per TV per month. This is notably higher than what other budget TV brands are reporting.
Telly's investors have been buoyed by this positive news, and the company has recently raised $350 million in debt funding over two rounds. As smart TVs increasingly rely on software-integrated advertisements and user tracking to offset declining hardware margins, Telly's ad-based approach may be starting to show its value.
However, as the leaked investor report highlights, there are still many challenges standing in the way of free, ad-supported TVs. While Telly's early ARPU figures are promising, it remains to be seen whether the startup can overcome its shipping issues and maintain customer satisfaction in the long term.
I think Telly's business model is actually a genius move! Who needs cash upfront when you can make money off users' eyeballs and personal data? 
And yeah, the ads might be annoying, but what's a little repetition when it means free TVs for everyone?! 
As long as they're delivering those TVs in one piece (and not broken like 90% of them apparently), I think Telly's gonna be just fine! 
i mean i get they wanna make money but ads on tv can be super annoying especially with those cameras & mics... it's like having a mini-surveillance system in ur living room lol! 
anyway, telly's got some serious growing up to do if they wanna stick around 
. I mean, I get it, companies gotta make a profit or whatever, but all these ads on the TV are just so annoying 
Not sure if Telly's ad-based approach is such a good idea after all... Maybe they should just focus on making better TVs that don't break as easily 
Ugh, Telly's "free" TVs are still shipping broken units left and right... like 10% of their shipments get delivered broken from FedEx alone 
Not to mention those annoying ads that won't quit 
. It's pretty clear these "free" TVs aren't all they're cracked up to be...
Telly's all like yay we're shipping half a million units but really they're just shipping 35k because of those shipping logistics nightmares 
It's like they're just looping those ads over and over again like some kind of sadistic experiment 
I don't think it's cool that they're making $52 per TV per month just from ads, that's crazy! 
what's going to happen when everyone realizes it's just a bunch of junk? 
I mean, I get it, the ad-based model makes sense for business, but as a consumer, it's hard to see the value when the product is still breaking left and right. And let's not forget about all the data they're collecting on us - that's some serious user-tracking 
. Telly needs to get their act together ASAP if they wanna keep customers happy... 
. And all those ads? More like annoying loops than user-friendly experiences 
, but $22 million in revenue is def a nice chunk 
Need to work out those kinks ASAP 
... or risk losing faith in Telly 
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. Anyone else had issues with their Telly TV? 
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. We need more transparency and accountability from companies like this, and a better balance between profit and people's needs 
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I get that they're trying to make it sound like you're getting something for free, but at what cost? 
Can't they just stick to selling TVs that work properly for once? 
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i mean, yeah i get it, its cheap but isnt that a lil too good to be true? 
