Pluto TV founder announces free TV with second screen for ads

Entrepreneur Ilya Pozin, known for the ad-funded free streaming service Pluto TV, has announced a TV. It has a second screen under the TV to show commercials to customers.

It is a 55″ LCD with HDR support and 4K resolution, says Telly. Below that is a second screen of unknown size and resolution. It shows additional information and the software also shows recommendations for what customers can watch. There are also banners on the right side. Telly calls the product Dual Screen Smart TV.

Between the two screens is a speaker with five drivers. The television has a voice assistant for operation. There is also movement tracking for fitness applications. Customers must pre-share data about people in the household to receive targeted ads. Providing that information is mandatory. Registration for the TV is done via an app, which is not available in the Benelux. The company wants to start delivering from this summer and is talking about 500,000 copies.

The concept of a television that is at least partly ‘paid for’ by showing advertisements is far from new. Numerous televisions now on the market already display advertisements. In addition, the devices often come with apps from major media companies pre-installed.