Tele, a company that accepts advertising data instead of cash for its TVs, is reportedly having difficulty getting its “free” TVs into people’s homes.
Tele debut in May 2023. Its dual-screen design can show ads even when people aren’t looking. Although the smaller, secondary screen can be used for more useful applications, such as showing the weather or sports scores, its primary purpose is to serve as a billboard to the south of the 55-inch primary display. Owners can’t disable tracking or cover the secondary screen (or they’ll have to pay for the TV, which Tele claims costs $1,000), and they’ll have to fill out a long, detailed survey to get one.
When Tele launched its TV, it said it expected to ship 500,000 devices that summer. In June 2023, the startup said that 250,000 people signed up to get Tele. In a 2024 press release, Tele said it planned to “ship millions more in 2024.”
But a report from Lowpass this week, citing a “Q3 update sent to investors in November 2025,” said the startup had 35,000 TVs in people’s homes at that time. According to Lopas, the note states that 28,000 Tele TVs were in use in the second quarter of 2025.
The publication reported that investor notes show that Telely will order 100,000 TVs from supplier Foxconn and will increase deliveries soon.
Tele declined to comment on Lopass and did not respond to Ars Technica’s requests for comment.
shipping problems
So what does it give? Based on early registration numbers, it looks like Tele has generated enough interest to ship over 35,000 TVs.
One issue appears to be poor shipping. According to investor notes reviewed by Lopass, Tele claimed that FedEx sabotaged 10 percent of its shipments of Tele TV. The company reportedly said that since moving to a different company – seemingly Samsung partner RXO based on a Reddit post – fewer tallies are coming.
As Lopas noted, dozens of online complaints claim that the free TV, shipped directly from Tele, was damaged upon arrival. The Verge also reported receiving a broken unit in September.
<a href