Earlier this month, LeEco — known as the “Netflix of China” — finally made its latest phones and TVs available in the U.S. — but there was a catch: They were only available via the company’s LeMall website. After a month of flash sales, the company’s products will finally be available on LeMall at any time, but that’s not the biggest news — the company also announced on Tuesday that beginning December 1, its phones and TVs will also be available from a number of U.S. retailers.
“We continue to bring to life our vision of a connected ecosystem that puts content at the center of the experience. With [Tuesday’s] announcements, we are making our premium products and the best content even more accessible,” Danny Bowman, LeEco North America chief revenue officer, said in a statement. “We’ve had tremendous success with our direct-to-consumer ecommerce site, LeMall.com, but we’re thrilled to be working with the top retailers to make our products more accessible.”
Specifically, LeEco phones and TVs will be available at Best Buy locations, as well as at wireless dealers for carriers that offer LeEco phones. In addition to physical locations, LeEco products will also be available via online retailers like Amazon and the Best Buy and Target websites.
The December 1 launch date comes one day after the launch of the new DirecTV Now live TV streaming service, and that’s not a coincidence. The two companies have teamed up to offer DirecTV Now subscriptions to customers purchasing select LeEco products.
Customers buying the Le S3 or Le Pro3 smartphones or Super4 X3 Pro ecotv will receive access to DirecTV Now for three months, while those buying a Super4 X55 or Super4 X65 TV will get six months of service. Customers buying the company’s flagship uMax85 TV will receive a full year of DirecTV Now service for free.
While LeEco may be making its products more easily available, it is still trying to draw customers to its LeMall online store by offering rebates ranging from $80 to $200, depending on the product.
