Dual-Screen Smart TV Maker Telly Adds Voice Control Powered By ChatGPT, Touts Results Seen By Initial Advertiser Kia

Dade Hayes
·2 min read

Telly, the new-look smart TV that came out of stealth beta last year, has added an interactive voice assistant powered by ChatGPT and other AI technology.

The start-up made the announcement at CES in Las Vegas, where it has been touting its 55-inch, dual screen models as more potent vehicles for advertisers and more comprehensive devices for consumers.

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The new voice assistant responds to commands beginning with “Hey, Telly.” It offers customizable avatars and personalities, adapting and personalizing to each user’s preferences over time, the company says.

Users of Telly, who got sets for free in a novel program designed to gain scale and offer consumers an incentive to try the device, are tuning into Telly at twice the rate of average TV screens. The dual-screen setup enables functions like fitness videos, Zoom meetings and information like news, weather and sports to play differently than they do on conventional single-screen sets. Telly said it has expanded Zoom capability to the screen underneath the main panel, which enables co-viewing with parties on the same Zoom call.

The company is also rolling out an integrated browser that works on both screens, which it says will help consumers respond to ads more easily than in other digital environments. QR codes, a staple of streaming advertising, attain twice the response of QR codes shown on standard TV ads when they appear on Telly sets, according to the company.

Brand recall has also been enhanced by Telly’s dual-screen DNA, according to the company’s findings. Telly said a study tracking the effectiveness of a “persistent advertising” campaign by Kia found that it outperformed other automakers’ ads, with recall results up to 300% higher than rival spots tracked in a control group. Telly’s second-screen ads delivered a recall rate for Kia more than 60% greater than the average.

“Brands advertising on TV acknowledge how difficult it is to find and follow audiences in today’s fragmented environment,” said Russell Wagner, VP and head of marketing for Kia America. “Telly, with its unique model and innovative ad inventory, solves that problem. Kia, as an early adopter, is thrilled with our results on Telly and excited to scale with them.”

In a press release, Telly founder and CEO Ilya Pozin said his company’s living-room devices are able to deliver “the kind of performance ads that brands have been asking for that allow for deep engagement right on the TV screen.”

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