DirecTV Stream is sweetening its live streaming TV lineup offer with the potential for a free connected TV from Telly, as new subscribers get to join the startup’s priority waiting list.
Specifically, DirecTV Stream for a limited time is offering new subscribers $30 off its service TV, which regularly starts at about $65 per month, plus priority access to the Telly TV waitlist.
Telly made a splash this year with plans to introduce free smart TV hardware – specifically a 55-inch 4K HDR dual-screen TV - that users get at no cost in exchange for watching ads that are displayed on a second screen. While there’s still questions about whether the model will take off, there already appears to be interest from consumers. Telly stated a goal of shipping 500,000 of the free TVs this year, reportedly valued at over $1,000, and claimed having 100,000 people registered to get one within the first 36 hours of launch.
Speaking to Fierce in May, Telly Chief Strategy Officer Dallas Lawrence said the company has seen an “overwhelming” amount of interest, without providing specific numbers but asserting that shipping 500,000 TVs is “not going to be a problem.”
Telly screens are integrated with a premium soundbar and powered by TellyOS. The Telly OS doesn’t have an app store for native access to other streaming services, but ships with an Android TV dongle for that purpose or can be used with devices like Roku, Apple TV or others.
“DirecTV has disrupted the pay TV industry since our founding nearly 30 years ago, and this collaboration with Telly allows us to continue that focus while providing additional value to first-time DirecTV Stream customers looking for new low-cost ways to enjoy their entertainment,” said Vikash Sharma, general manager at DirecTV Stream, in a statement.
Telly was created by Ilya Pozin – co-founder of another disruptor in the TV landscape, free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) service Pluto TV, now owned by Paramount.
“Telly is the biggest innovation in TV since color, and through our new collaboration, DirecTV Stream customers will be among the very first homes in America to experience the ultimate television living room upgrade,” said Pozin, founder and CEO of Telly, in a statement.
DirecTV Stream customers that get a Telly TV will also see features such as a built-in camera for Zoom-powered video calling, more than 40 built-in games, a “Hey Telly” voice assistant, and a fitness app that includes motion-tracking fitness programs. For a deeper dive into Telly’s ambitions and plans for that second screen read here.
DirecTV Stream is the virtual MVPD offer from the satellite TV provider that has gone through a few name iterations, with the service at one point called DirecTV Now and more recently in 2021 rebranded from AT&T TV NOW and AT&T TV. Estimates from MoffettNathanson’s latest cord cutting monitor peg DirecTV Stream as losing 20,000 net subscribers in the first quarter of 2023.
Article updated to reflect Pozin is a co-founder, not sole founder, of Pluto TV.