Telly has only delivered 35,000 of its free televisions with always-on ads

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NovaByte

Free TV Firm Telly Falls Short of Ambitious Goals as Ad-Filled Setups Remain Unpopular

A surprising proposition on the home theater scene since its debut in 2023, Telly's business model has been met with skepticism by many consumers. The startup promises free dual-screen televisions to customers, but what comes pre-installed is a constant barrage of advertisements on the lower screen. This unusual setup has left some wondering if the model will catch on.

According to an investor update obtained by Lowpass, Telly delivered only 35,000 units to customers as of the end of Q3 2025, far short of its ambitious target of half a million screens shipped that summer. It appears this is not the first sign of trouble for the company, with pre-orders reaching an impressive 250,000 in June 2023.

Despite initial interest, issues have plagued Telly's customer delivery process. A staggering 10% of shipments through FedEx arrived broken, with some customers experiencing delays and difficulties replacing their televisions. This is corroborated by a thread on the company's Reddit page from last year, detailing problems with shipping and replacements.

It seems that consumers may not be embracing the ad-filled TVs as enthusiastically as expected, and Telly's struggles highlight the challenges of disrupting an established industry. With shipments facing significant hurdles, it remains to be seen whether this startup can overcome its current obstacles and achieve success in the competitive world of home entertainment technology.
 
ugh i told u guys this would happen 🤦‍♂️ they thought people wanted free tvs with ads stuck on them 24/7? no thanks, who needs that much annoyance in their life? and now they're struggling to get it right because of shipping issues? what a mess... think they'll ever figure out how to make a decent business model? i doubt it 📦💔
 
I mean, I gotta say, Telly's idea sounds kinda cool at first but then you think about how annoying those ads are gonna be 🙄. I was one of those people who actually pre-ordered a unit back in 2023 and was hyped to get that free TV setup. But now that it's arrived and I've had to deal with the FedEx issues, I'm kinda regretting it. A 10% failure rate on shipments is pretty concerning - what if the ads are really not the only thing they're getting wrong? Maybe Telly needs to go back to the drawing board and rethink their whole business model... or just give customers more control over what's playing on that lower screen 📺
 
I gotta say, I'm kinda surprised by this news 🤔. I mean, who doesn't want a free TV, right? But the ads are just too much for some people, I guess. I tried out one of these Telly things myself and it was pretty annoying 😒. The constant noise in the background is super distracting when you're trying to watch something. And yeah, I've heard from friends that the shipping process has been a nightmare 🚫. I feel bad for the company, they just need to figure out how to make these TVs work better for customers. Maybe they could try adding more control options or something?
 
I mean come on 10% of broken TVs is crazy 🤯! That's not just a minor issue, that's like half your customer base being out of commission right off the bat. I get it, building a new business model is hard and all but 35k units in a year? It's gotta be a tough pill to swallow for investors too. They must've seen some serious red flags with those pre-orders in June last year - 250k! That's like, what, 10 times the number of units they actually delivered this year? Something just ain't adding up here
 
I mean, come on 🤔... 10% of TVs arriving broken? That's crazy talk! 👀 I would've been all about that free dual-screen TV setup, but if the shipping is gonna be so bad, what's the point? 😒 And don't even get me started on the ads on the lower screen - can you imagine having to watch that all day? 📺 No thanks, give me a decent streaming service any day over some annoying ad breaks! 🚫
 
I'm totally bummed for Telly 🤕. I mean, who doesn't love a good deal? But free dual-screen TVs with ads on them just don't seem that appealing to me 😐. I've been following their progress and it's clear they're struggling with production issues & shipping delays 💔. 10% of shipments are broken? That's crazy! 🤯 And the ad-filled setup isn't exactly winning people over 📺. I think Telly needs to re-evaluate their strategy and focus on building trust with customers before trying to disrupt the industry 🔄. Maybe they could start by offering a better warranty or some kind of compensation for broken units? That would be a good step in the right direction 💪.
 
🤔 I think Telly really dropped the ball on this one 📺. The idea of free dual-screen TVs is actually pretty cool, but the ad-filled setup is a total turn-off for many people, especially if you're just looking to watch your fave shows or play games with friends. And let's not forget about the delivery issues – 10% of shipments are broken? That's crazy! 💥 It sounds like they underestimated the importance of getting products right out the gate.

I think Telly needs to go back to the drawing board and rethink their strategy. Maybe ditch the ad-filled setup and just offer a decent free service, or find another way to monetize that doesn't feel so invasive 🤑. With all the other options out there for affordable home theater solutions, it's hard to see how they'll overcome these challenges and stay relevant in the market 📈.
 
omg tellys business model just dont make sense ️... who wants ads on their tv when they pay good money for it?? i mean, im all for innovation and trying new things, but this one needs a major overhaul 🤔... like, cant they find another way to make that free thing work without hitting us with commercials all day? 📺😒
 
omg I cant believe they didnt reach their goal 🤯 I was all about that Telly life when they first came out but now Im starting to think those ads are a total turnoff 😒 I mean who wants to watch ads on their TV? that just defeats the purpose of having a free tv in the first place 🤑 I feel bad for them tho, it sounds like they're having some major issues with shipping and delivery... hopefully they can figure out a way to make it work 💪
 
omg, i gotta say, i was super stoked about telly when they first launched, but now im kinda disappointed 🤔. 35k units shipped is like, woah, way below expectations! ad-filled TVs just dont seem that appealing to me tbh... i mean, who wants a tv with ads on it? 📺😒

i feel bad for telly tho, they did have some initial hype and pre-orders were crazy last year 🤑. but customer service and delivery issues can really kill the vibe, you know? like, who wants to deal with broken TVs and long wait times when you're just trying to get your new gadget 😩.

anyway, i hope telly gets it together and finds a way to make their ad-filled TV thing work 🤞. but for now, im sticking with my old non-ad TV setup 💯.
 
Ugh 😒 I was so hyped about Telly at first... I mean who wouldn't want a free TV? But now I'm just thinking... do we really need ads on our screens 24/7? Can't they just keep it simple and let us watch whatever we want without all that noise? 📺🙄 And now to hear that like, 1 in 10 TVs shipped are broken... that's just crazy 😩. I guess I was wrong about Telly being the future of home entertainment tech 🤦‍♂️. Back to buying my own TVs from Amazon, thanks 😅.
 
so what's going on with telly? i thought they were gonna change the game with free tvs but now it seems like ads are a major turnoff... 35k units is kinda meh considering they wanted half a million... shipping issues are a big deal too, can't blame customers for being annoyed about broken stuff and delays 🤦‍♀️. maybe telly should rethink the ad-filled setup or just stick to making regular tvs? 📺
 
Honestly, I think the whole ad-on-the-lower-screen thing is just too much 😒. Who wants to watch ads while watching their favorite show? It's like, isn't that what streaming services are for? Telly seems like they're trying to split the difference between free and expensive, but it's not working out for them 🤷‍♂️. I mean, 35k units is a pretty low number for a company with ambitious goals, so yeah, something needs to change...like ditching the ads altogether 💡.
 
omg i'm not surprised lol tellys ad-filled setup is literally so annoying i mean who wants a tv that's more ads than actual screen time?! 🤦‍♀️ i remember when they first launched it was all hype but now its like, meh. i tried to pre-order one but the delivery process was a nightmare 😩 fedex broke half of my orders and the customer support was so unhelpful. idk how telly expects to catch on with this setup 🤑
 
I gotta say, I'm a bit underwhelmed by Telly's whole ad-filled TV thing 🤔. I mean, who thought that was a good idea? I get it, free TVs are cool and all, but do we really need to watch ads while we're trying to enjoy our favorite shows or movies on the main screen? It just seems like too much of a hassle.

And now they're struggling with shipping issues too... broken TVs, delays, and replacement headaches 📦😩. That's not exactly what you want when you've got a new gadget that you're excited about. I think Telly needs to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to make their ad-filled TVs actually work for people, instead of just being a money-making scheme. It's a shame, too - they had some hype around them initially... but it seems like that fizzled out pretty quickly 💔.
 
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