“Entrepreneur Ilya Pozin reveals plans for a revolutionary ad-supported smart TV with a second screen”

Entrepreneur Ilya Pozin, who founded the free and ad-supported streaming channel Pluto TV in the past, is reportedly working on a free television that must be earned back through advertising.

Pozin’s startup would work on it in secret and reveal its plan later this year. The television is not a common model. The device would have a second screen with the height of a smartphone screen and a width equal to the width of the television. Widgets with useful information such as news and weather could be displayed there, as well as advertisements. The device would also have an integrated soundbar.

the startup, which would be called Teevee, would also offer a mobile app for additional functionality. At least initially, the smart part of this smart TV is provided by an included media player, such as a Chromecast. All that reports Janko Roettgers in his Lowpass newsletter. Previously, Roettgers was a journalist at Protocol. Pozin lives in the United States and it is obvious that this product will be the first to be launched in the US.

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. It is of course arguable that this is done as a service to the user, but it is equally conceivable that the companies pay television manufacturers for this. Roettgers cites an example of Vizio, which made less than $3 per TV sold in the fourth quarter of last year, but then averaged $28.30 per TV from advertising.