Free: Xavier Niel recognizes a strategic error with the Freebox Delta and its Devialet Player

These explanations from the founder of Free come in a context of economic difficulties for the manufacturer of connected speakers Devialet, which requested in October the opening of a conciliation procedure in order to raise emergency funds.

An internet solution costing more than €500, far from market realities

Officially stopped since June 2023, the Freebox Delta offer with Player Devialet did not work, because it was much too expensive to find its audience. Xavier Niel admits this today with a certain humility.

“At some point, I think we are becoming gentrified. We think that everything is fine, that the French are all very rich, so we make a box for €500. Then, one morning, we get up and we remember that we are selling a product to all French people. The reality is that the vast majority of French people struggle by a few euros“.

This offer reserved for the wealthiest was already controversial at the time of its launch. The partnership with a luxury brand like Devialet, which was certainly on the rise at that time thanks to the famous speaker Phantomwas seen as going against Free's philosophy. Disruptor, the operator's initial objective was to make the technology accessible to as many people as possible.

An audio system in a TV box, a promising idea at the time

At a time when streaming services were entering all homes, the Freebox Delta and the Devialet Player were positioned as an innovative high-end solution, aiming to concentrate a high-speed connection (8 Gbps), the inclusion of Netflix and Amazon Prime, as well as compatibility with a range of connected objects. But above all, thanks to Devialet's acoustic engineering, this box stood out for the integration of speakers delivering 360° sound. Thus, in addition to the functions of a classic TV box, the user benefited from an audio solution halfway between a soundbar and a connected speaker dedicated to music listening.

Although the use was promising on paper, it was necessary to spend more than €500 to take advantage of it. In addition to the subscription price of €49.99 per month, the Devialet Player was sold at €480 in a single or split payment. Inaccessible for low-income households, this box quickly lost its popularity.

To compensate for this, Free launched Player Pop in 2022, a more compact version without an integrated audio system designed to work with the Freebox Delta. It was a success. At the same time, the operator tried to offer the Devialet Player for rental for €6.99 per month, before increasing it to €9.99 per month. The formula did not work, to the point of forcing the discontinuation of the product a year later.