In late February, an Orlando-based operation led by chief executive William Mobley responded to the continued surge in consumers saying farewell to hefty MVPD bills by going to a digital broadcast TV antenna and perhaps a OTT service of two.
It did so by investing in informercials, in which a “cord-cutting kit” was being offered. It’s a direct response campaign that could very well give broadcast TV a self-ignited lift.
Introducing FreeCast‘s SelectTV, and a cord-cutting campaign it says is designed to help consumers across the country “frustrated with cobbling together newly offered video subscription services and streaming hardware into a manageable television experience.”
For the magic TV offer price of $19.95, the SelectTV cord-cutting kit includes a year of the “SmartGuide” service, an aggregator of major online content that makes navigating dozens of streaming apps and services as simple as using cable TV’s familiar on-screen guide.
FreeCast’s SelectTV can be used on most media-enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, streaming devices, Android TVs, and select gaming systems, which means the service can be taken anywhere internet access is available.
Beyond popular pay TV content libraries currently battling it out for consumer attention in what is being labeled “The Streaming Wars,” FreeCast’s SmartGuide amasses tens of thousands of free channels, on-demand TV episodes, movies, music, sports, and more, available to consumers willing to watch brief commercials. Included in the kit is an HDTV antenna to capture live local channels such as ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS and others over-the-air, absolutely free and without a local cable subscription. The kit also comes with a free digital copy of the Cord Cutting 101 eBook, as well as a vast library of how-to videos, and is all backed up with 24/7 live support from the company’s own branded Cord Cutting Crew.
The 30-minute infomercial spot for SelectTV is currently airing in most U.S. television markets via numerous local broadcast stations and diginets. With the help of infomercial gurus Kevin Harrington of “Shark Tank” fame and Home Shopping Network alum Mel Arthur, SelectTV’s Cord-Cutting Kit is positioned to put back the most important consumer feature which is missing among the multi-million dollar cord-cutting transition from traditional hardwired cable boxes to newly offered wireless digital services, a SmartGuide.
FreeCast CEO William Mobley spoke of early success from the infomercials’ first runs.
“Across the country, SelectTV is selling,” he says. “We worked with some of the best in the business to make sure that we do this right, and it’s paying off. It’s putting our product on the radar, and it’s delivering the kind of customers we believe fit our product: cord-cutters, particularly those on tighter budgets, or who don’t have the time and technical skills to figure out which combination of services and devices will get their favorite shows on their TV without costing an arm and a leg. That’s exactly what SelectTV does, and these infomercials are bringing the solution to those who need it.”
— Tyler Shears, in Orlando; and Adam Jacobson, in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
