People keep claiming this but it isn't true. The subsidy from advertising is very low:

> They make about $20 per user annually and, assuming an active TV service life of five years, yield about $100 over the lifecycle of a main viewing room TV.

https://omdia.tech.informa.com/om030986/in-the-smart-tv-indu...

Look at monitor price drops (comparing the same tech). Same price drop curve.