Pluto licenses its content directly from providers; as of March 2020, it had deals with 170 content partners providing approximately 425 channels and 100,000 unique hours worth of programming.[6] In October 2020, Pluto TV became part of the newly created ViacomCBS Streaming (renamed Paramount Streaming in February 2022), both to be led by Pluto TV CEO Tom Ryan.[7][8] Its content is available via its website and mobile apps on Android and iOS operating systems. As of April 2023, Pluto TV has a total of 80 million monthly active users.[9]
Pluto TV has live channels based on Viacom properties like Nickelodeon, MTV, and Comedy Central since being acquired by the company. Aside from the Viacom channels, Pluto has licensed channels from companies like Crunchyroll and original channels like Pluto TV True Crime. Since Viacom's merger with CBS Corporation, Pluto became a sister service to CBS All Access, which is now Paramount+ since March 2021. Although the service is free, logging into an account is required if users want to watch something other than live TV.
History
Early years (2014–2019)
Pluto TV first launched its beta website on March 31, 2014, and was co-founded by chairman and CEO Nick Grouf, Tom Ryan, and Ilya Pozin.[10][11] Pluto TV was originally developed to provide curated channels of existing online content, offering a slate of nearly 100 categorized channels featuring content aggregated from various video-sharing platforms (including YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion) as well as additional content provided through partnerships with original web content services and television networks (including Funny or Die, QVC, Refinery29, RocketJump and TYT Network).[10] The service was initially owned by Pluto Inc., which, during the second half of 2013 and early 2014, had raised $13 million in series A funding from investors that included Universal Music Group, Sky plc, UTA Ventures, and venture capital firms U.S. Venture Partners (USVP), QueensBridge Venture Partners, Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Luminari Capital, Great Oaks Venture Capital and Chicago Ventures.[5][12] On May 14, 2014, Pluto unveiled a digital video recorder feature on its website known as "myPluto"; users could "record" content by clicking a "save show" button that would archive content from the channel as it played.[13]
On July 1, 2015, Pluto TV announced that it had signed a deal with Hulu (now Disney-owned) to distribute the ad-supported video content available for free on Hulu's website including current-season episodes of programs from ABC, NBC and Fox, recent and older classic television series, and domestic and foreign animated programs. Under the arrangement, Hulu handled advertising for content made available through Pluto TV. In the weeks preceding the Hulu deal, Pluto TV had separately reached content agreements with AOL, Endemol Beyond USA, Shout! Factory, Jukin Media and YouTube content channels Devin SuperTramp, Multicom, Around the World in 4K and Amazing Places on Our Planet to distribute their programming on the service.[14][15][16][17] In October 2015, 20 additional channels featuring content from AwesomenessTV, Cracked, IGN, Just for Laughs, Legendary Digital Networks, Newsy, The Onion and WildBrain were brought onto the service's lineup, bringing the total number of curated channels offered by Pluto to around 120.[18]
On May 15, 2016, Pluto TV signed an agreement with Sony to make the Pluto TV app available on the PlayStation Store for download by users of the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. In 2016, Pluto Inc. raised $30 million in series B venture capital funding from ProSiebenSat.1 Media, Scripps Networks Interactive, and venture capital firms Luminari Capital, Chicago Ventures and Third Wave Ventures, valuing the company at $140 million. The round was led by German television network ProSieben, with additional funding from telecommunications company Sky UK.[5] On April 30, 2017, Pluto Inc. added a chief programming officer role, appointing Robert Magdlen—who formerly served as senior vice president of program strategy and acquisitions for the NBCUniversal-owned E! and as a production executive for TNT—in the post, handling responsibilities for programming and channel development from the company's L.A. headquarters.[19]
On May 15, 2017, Pluto TV launched a traditional video-on-demand offering, consisting a large library of films and television series licensed from such distributors as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Viacom (which acquired the service itself two years later), Sony Pictures, Fremantle, Monstercat, King Features Syndicate along with two Canadian studios, Nelvana and WildBrain that are made available for individual viewing to Pluto users.[20][21]Variety reported that as of May2017[update], the service was averaging 6 million users per month,[22] and, as of October2017[update], it was rated one of the most-watched Roku Channels on Roku.[23]
By October 2017, Pluto TV reached over 15 million users. On October 17 of that year, Pluto TV announced that it received a $5-million investment from Samsung Venture Investment Corporation as part of an $8.3 million round of funding raised by various investors.[24] On March 15, 2018, Pluto TV entered into a partnership with SpotX to provide advertising monetization services for Pluto, including engendering sales from media buyers breaking into over-the-top content services.[25] On August 1, 2018, Vizio launched a new ad-supported streaming platform powered by Pluto TV, called WatchFree. This service is built into several models of Vizio's line of Internet-connected smart TVs, particularly those supporting its SmartCast operating system, and is advertised as having "an easy-to-navigate, cable-like interface".[26]
On October 1, 2018, Pluto TV expanded into parts of Europe, with the launch of a platform on Sky's Now TV service in the United Kingdom, offering an initial slate of more than 12 curated channels.[27] Also in October 2018, Pluto TV picked Tru Optik to help with advertising inventory.[28] On December 4, 2018, Pluto TV launched a regional service in Germany and Austria, also through a separate collaborative agreement with Sky, with the app's content made available initially via the Sky TV stick; the German/Austrian service originally incorporated a slate of 15 streaming channels (consisted of both Pluto-exclusive services with both German and English-language content as well as channels compiled by third-party content providers).[29][30]
Purchase by Viacom/Paramount Global ownership (2019–present)
On January 22, 2019, Viacom announced its intention to acquire Pluto TV for $340 million.[31][32] Viacom's plans for Pluto TV included using the service as a marketing tool for its portfolio of linear media brands (including incorporating more licensed content from Viacom-owned properties) and to serve as a distribution outlet for its in-house digital content brands (such as AwesomenessTV), expanding the service into Latin America, and entering into partnerships with internet and mobile providers to cross-promote the service, and offer advertising inventory and revenue sharing.[33] The deal was completed on March 4, 2019.[34] On March 18, 2019, Viacom—through its Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) unit—announced plans to launch Pluto TV worldwide; VIMN President James Currell stated that the company believed the global SVOD sector was "becoming too crowded and capital intensive," choosing to focus on building scale through ad-supported streaming platforms.[35]
On May 1, 2019, Pluto introduced branded channels based on Viacom Media Networks-owned cable outlets and other Viacom properties, including content from Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, BET, Comedy Central, VH1, Logo, TV Land and MTV, along with Spike-branded channels based on the network's past formats of men's interest and outdoors programming. The free channels are not simulcasts of their namesake networks, as contractual restrictions with traditional pay television providers prevent it from distributing the full linear feeds, but instead focus primarily on archival content and series that Pluto TV has acquired from other content providers.[36][37][38][39] Some of these branded services are direct offshoots of their linear counterparts, while others (such as CMT, Cheer 24/7, TV Land Sitcoms, TV Land Drama, MTV Teen, VH1: I Love Reality, and Nickelodeon offshoots Dora TV[40] and Totally Turtles,[39].) maintain theme formats offering specialty programming owned by Viacom and other program library partners.
On June 13, 2019, Pluto TV was launched on Comcast's Xfinity X1 cable boxes.[41] On July 1, 2019, the service launched a Spanish-language programming tier, Pluto TV Latino, consisting initially of eleven Spanish and Portuguese-language channels (including two sports-focused channels, Lucha Libre and Combate World, that were previously assigned to the service's main sports tier) that incorporate programming originally produced natively in those languages and Spanish-dubbed versions of English and Portuguese programs.[42]
Pluto TV's logo used from 2016 until March 1, 2020; a variant featuring the "TV" dot in the same size as the rest of the text was used from 2018 until the second logo was introduced.
On August 13, 2019, National Amusements announced that Viacom and CBS Corporation—which had split into two separate companies in 2005, five years after the original Viacom first acquired CBS's assets—would recombine their assets into a singular entity to be named ViacomCBS in a deal valued at up to $15.4 billion.[43][44][45] Following the announcement, Deadline Hollywood, citing sources within the company, identified Pluto TV as a potential outlet for CBS streaming content. Pluto had recently carried CBS News's CBSN, and technology and video-game-oriented CNET Video.[46] Additional channels from CBS, including the CBS News New York and Los Angeles services, and an Entertainment Tonight-branded entertainment news channel (ET Live), were added to the service on November 13, 2019, prior to the completion of the merger.[47]
Pluto TV's logo used from January 7, 2020 to January 28, 2024. Still in use on hourly idents of some channels.
In September 2019, Pluto TV became available on mobile platforms in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the United Kingdom; the service first became available in those countries on iOS and Apple TV devices on September 6, and on Android devices on September 24.[48][49] By November 2019, the service was estimated to have 20 million monthly active users.[50]
On February 3, 2020, ViacomCBS announced that Pluto TV would launch in Latin America at the end of March, offering 17 channels available in two languages, Spanish and Portuguese at launch; additional channels would be added on a monthly basis with more than 80 channels expected to be available by the end of 2020. Alongside content carried by ViacomCBS Networks International-owned local versions of its corporate parent's U.S. media properties, co-owned Argentine network Telefe and Porta dos Fundos would also provide content for the service.[51][52] The service was expected to launch in Brazil in December 2020,[53] but was anticipated and was launched on November 17, 2020.[54]
In January 2020, Pluto TV unveiled a new logo at CES 2020, and later unveiled a redesign of its Apple iOS apps, which included a new channel guide and on-demand menu interface.[55][56] The redesigned interface—absent the new logo—was rolled out to the website and desktop app the following day on February 21, its Roku app on February 26, and Android devices and other platforms on March 2.[57][58]
On February 20, 2020, ViacomCBS estimated that Pluto TV generated a monthly average of 22 million viewers in the fourth quarter of 2019, with expectations of its user base reaching 30 million monthly viewers by December 2020. The company also announced that Pluto content would be incorporated into a revamped version of CBS All Access, which would also add content from ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks cable properties, Paramount Pictures and CBS Television Distribution. ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish stated that Pluto TV—which will remain a free, standalone offering—would be part of the company's refocusing on three core streaming services, alongside the subscription-based CBS All Access and Showtime's OTT service, which would act as its mid-level and premium offerings and which Pluto will also be used to upsell along with ViacomCBS's other niche streaming platforms.[59][60][61][62]
On July 9, 2020, the service launched an app for Virgin Media customers in the United Kingdom.[63] On October 8 of that same year, ViacomCBS announced Pluto TV's launch in Spain, Italy and France, with 40 channels and thousands of hours of on-demand content.[64]
On July 17, 2021, Pluto TV added several new channels including News 12 New York, Pluto TV Home, and Professional Bull Riders' RidePass.[65] A deal made between Pluto TV and PBR allowed for Pluto TV to be the exclusive home to RidePass content.[66]
On September 29, 2021, Pluto TV's parent ViacomCBS agreed to pay $3.5 million and enter into a consent decree with the FCC to provide clear and accessible closed captioning, which would often not be passed down to the consumer via Pluto TV apps or websites despite either being part of a program already or being captioned by the live programming provider. The FCC's determined the service had not implemented proper and visible settings to allow the passthrough of captions, removed captioning capabilities, and did not maintain email or telephone captioning support hotlines required by the FCC to address viewer complaints. Under FCC rules, all nonexempt full-length video programming delivered over the Internet must present closed captions if originally aired over American television with captioning, if the programming had previously been shown on television in the U.S. with captions. This effectively applies to most television programming created after 1984, along with the 1990 Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990, which mandated a requirement for captions to be accessible on all but the smallest televisions.[67]
On November 29, 2021, ViacomCBS announced that Pluto TV would launch in Sweden, Norway and Denmark by 2022 as part of a joint venture with Nordic Entertainment Group, phasing out the company's existing AVOD service Viafree upon launch.[68] On March 16, 2022, it was announced that the launch date of Pluto TV in the three countries will be on May 18, 2022.[69]
On February 16, 2022, Pluto TV's parent company, ViacomCBS Streaming, was renamed to Paramount Streaming, in-line with the rebranding of parent company ViacomCBS to Paramount Global.[70]
On May 18, 2022, Pluto TV was launched in the Nordics through a partnership with Viaplay Group (formerly called Nordic Entertainment Group).[71] On July 13, 2022, Pluto TV added five new channel categories: Game Shows, Daytime TV, Home, Food, and Lifestyle & Culture, and two new channels: Let's Make a Deal and The Judge Judy Channel.[72] Additional channels devoted to Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune were added in August 2022.[73]
On September 1, 2022, Pluto TV launched two new channels, the movie channel 00s Replay, and The Ed Sullivan Show. More channels were added throughout the month: CSI: Miami and its spin-off CSI: NY, launched on September 13, 60 Minutes launched on September 24, and Hallmark Movies & More and Rachael Ray launched on September 26.[74] On October 31, 2022, Pluto TV announced that it would add 6,300 episodes of classic CBS-distributed series to its on-demand library by the end of 2022, including Cheers, Criminal Minds,Frasier, and Star Trek.[75]
On December 1, 2022, Pluto TV launched in Canada in partnership with Corus Entertainment, which is handling marketing and Canadian advertising sales. Corus also contributed channels to the service that are drawn from its networks and libraries, such as Global News, Property Brothers, Anna Olson, and Bryan Baeumler.[76][77] The next day, the service added additional Christmas-related channels for the holiday season, as well as More Star Trek, Confess by Nosey, and AMC en Español.[78] On December 15, 2022, Pluto TV launched a new advertising campaign featuring actress Drew Barrymore.[79]
On April 11, 2023, Pluto TV launched the CBS Sports Golazo Network in the United States to take advantage of Paramount Global's worldwide soccer rights, including discussion shows and live games.[80]
On November 1, 2023, Paramount announced that Pluto TV would merge with My5 in the UK, with its full launch date set to be planned for the second half of 2024.[81] Paramount later called off the merger on August 20, 2024, opting to relaunch My5 in 2025 and keep Pluto TV as a separate service.[82]
Programming
Pluto TV is structured similarly to the traditional cable television model, offering its content as designated channels categorized by program content type into multiple channel categories:
Current categories
Featured – new channels and special event content;
Movies – movie channels, consisting of both general-format and genre-based (e.g., comedy, action, horror) services;
Classic TV – channels focused on classic television shows and cartoons, mostly comedies;
Westerns;
Sci-Fi – channels focusing on science fiction shows (introduced October 2023);
Drama – channels focusing on shows in the drama genre (introduced October 2023);
True Crime – channels about true crime documentaries (introduced October 2023);
Reality – reality and competition shows;
Competition Reality;
Entertainment – varied general and specialty entertainment-based programming;
Game Shows – game shows, mostly classic series (introduced in July 2022);[72]
Daytime TV – channels focused on soap operas, and talk, court and lifestyle programs (introduced in July 2022);[72]
News + Opinion – mainstream news and opinion channels;
Sports – live and previously aired events, sporting news and analysis programs;
History + Science;
Home + Food;
Animals + Nature;
Kids – channels aimed at children and young teenagers;
Anime – Japanese animation (mostly subbed);
En Español – Spanish-language channels;
Music Videos – music videos and video concerts (audio-based music channels from Dash Radio were previously among the selections, but they were dropped in July 2020 and replaced by Vevo);[84]
Local News – Regional news channels and geolocated stations (including CBS News Local services)
Seasonal channels
Season's Greetings – Pop-up Christmas-themed movie and Yule Log channels that operate from November 1 to December 31; in November 2023, Pluto TV acquired streaming rights to the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade for broadcast on one of the seasonal channels.[85]
Former categories
Explore – travel, lifestyle, historical, science and special-interest channels.[72]
In Canada, Pluto TV was available in a limited capacity due to existing program rights held by broadcasters.[89] In June 2022, it was announced that Paramount would partner with Corus Entertainment to relaunch the service locally in late 2022, with Corus serving as ad-sale representative and providing library content to the service.[90][91] Pluto TV was officially relaunched in Canada on December 1, 2022.[92] During the Canadian launch event on December 1, 2022, executive VP and international general manager Olivier Jollet told The Hollywood Reporter that they plan to launch Pluto TV channels in Australia by August 2023 (through Paramount's existing BVOD service 10Play) and are exploring expansion into other European and Asian territories.[93]
Viacom Inc. was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate with interests primarily in film and television. It was split from the original Viacom on December 31, 2005 alongside the second CBS Corporation. The controlling shareholder of both companies was National Amusements, a theater company headed by businessman Sumner Redstone. The split was structured so that the original Viacom changed its name to CBS Corporation and spun out its cable and film interests as a new Viacom.
Paramount Media Networks is the division of Paramount Global that oversees the operations of its television channels and online brands. The division was originally founded as MTV Networks in 1984, named after the MTV cable network. It would be known under this name until 2011; when it would be thereafter known as Viacom Media Networks until 2019; and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks until 2022.
Hulu, LLC is an American subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as a joint venture between News Corporation and NBC Universal. Many companies like AT&T's WarnerMedia, Providence Equity, and The Walt Disney Company bought stakes in the service. Hulu served as an aggregation of recent episodes of television series from the respective television broadcasting by its owners. In 2010, Hulu launched a subscription service, initially branded as "Hulu Plus," which featured full seasons of programs from the companies and other partners, and un-delayed access to new episodes. In 2017, the company launched Hulu with Live TV—an over-the-top streaming television service offering access to broadcast television channels.
Paramount Streaming is a division of Paramount Global that oversees the company's video streaming technology and direct-to-consumer services; including Pluto TV and Paramount+. It was founded in 2005, and Tom Ryan is the company's president and CEO.
My5 is the brand name of video-on-demand services offered by Channel 5 in the United Kingdom. The service went live on 26 June 2008. It is owned by Paramount Global and operated by their Paramount Networks UK & Australia division.
Xumo, LLC is an American internet television and consumer electronics company. It is a joint venture of Charter Communications and Comcast that operates the free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) and advertising video on demand (AVOD) service Xumo Play, and develops digital media players and smart TVs. The Xumo Play platform's service operations are based in the Orange County suburb of Irvine, California. As of October 2020, Xumo Play has 24 million monthly active users.
YouTube TV is an American Internet Protocol television service operated by YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, which in turn is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. Announced on February 28, 2017, the virtual multichannel video programming distributor offers a selection of live linear channel feeds and on-demand content from more than 100 television networks and over 30 OTT-originated services, as well as a cloud-based DVR.
MGM+, is an American OTT streaming platform and pay television network owned by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), a subsidiary of Amazon MGM Studios, the entertainment unit of Amazon.com. The network's programming consists of recent and older theatrically released motion pictures, original television series, documentaries, and music and comedy specials.
AwesomenessTV Holdings, LLC, often shortened to Awesomeness, is an American digital media and entertainment network company owned by Paramount Global. Established in July 2012 by Brian Robbins and Joe Davola, the company operated a network initially focused on children’s programs, teen dramas, comedies, live events and music videos targeting adolescents and young adults.
CBS News 24/7 is an American streaming video news channel operated by the CBS News and Paramount Streaming divisions of Paramount Global. Launched on November 6, 2014, it features blocks of live, rolling news coverage, original programs, as well as encore airings of CBS News television programs.
Sling TV LLC is an American streaming television service and a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar’s Dish Network. Unveiled on January 5, 2015, at the Consumer Electronics Show, the virtual multichannel video programming distributor aims to complement subscription video on demand services for cord cutters, offering a selection of major cable channels and OTT-originated services that can be streamed through smart TVs, digital media players and apps. The service is available in the United States and Puerto Rico as of 2015.
Buzzr is an American digital broadcast television network owned by Fremantle North America, a unit of the Fremantle subsidiary of RTL Group. The network serves as an outlet for the extensive library of classic game shows owned by Fremantle. Buzzr marks Fremantle's entry into North American television broadcasting; parent company RTL currently operates numerous TV channels in Europe.
Tubi, Inc. is an American over-the-top content platform and free ad-supported streaming television service owned by Fox Corporation since 2020, and in 2023 it, Credible Labs, and a few other Fox digital assets were placed into a new division known as the Tubi Media Group. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California.
Paramount+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, the Smithsonian Channel, Showtime, and Paramount Pictures. It also shows original series and films, live streaming sports coverage, and in the United States, live streaming of local CBS television stations. The service was launched by CBS Corporation in the United States in 2014, as CBS All Access, initially focusing on the live streaming of CBS programming from its local affiliates, as well as on-demand access to CBS programs and library content. The service began to expand into original programming in 2016, beginning with spin-offs of CBS programs such as Big Brother, The Good Fight, and the new Star Trek television series Star Trek: Discovery. In 2018, the service launched in Australia as 10 All Access, taking its name from Network 10, and was a mixture between CBS and 10’s programming.
Philo is an American over-the-top streaming television company based in San Francisco, California. First founded at Harvard University in 2010 by Tuan Ho and Nicholas Krasney, investors in the company include HBO, Andrew McCollum, and Mark Cuban. The company and its service is named in honor of one of the pioneering engineers of television, Philo T. Farnsworth. As of 2021, their OTT streaming television service has over 800,000 subscribers. Philo is a joint venture between A&E Networks, AMC Networks, Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery, with A&E itself being a joint venture between Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. Aside from the channels operated by its owners, Philo also includes third-party networks and streaming services owned by AMC, such as Shudder and AMC+.
FuboTV Inc., operating as FuboTV or Fubo, is an American streaming television service serving customers in Canada, Spain, and the United States and based in Midtown Manhattan. The network focuses primarily on channels that distribute live sports. Depending on the country it is accessed in, channels offered by Fubo include access to the Premier League, NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, CPL, and international football, as well as news, network television series, and movies.
Peacock TV, LLC, shortened to Peacock, is an American over-the-top subscription streaming service owned and operated by Comcast through its media division NBCUniversal. The service launched on July 15, 2020,and was named after the NBC logo.
The Roku Channel is an over-the-top video streaming service available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the U.K. It was launched in 2017, and is owned and operated by Roku, Inc. As of 2023, the service leads U.S. viewership for free ad-supported streaming television (FAST), reporting 120 million viewers.
Free advertising-supported streaming television (FAST) is a category of streaming television services which offer traditional linear television programming and studio-produced movies without a paid subscription, funded exclusively by advertising akin to over-the-air or cable TV stations. Platforms following this model include Pluto TV, Rakuten TV, The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi, and Xumo. These services stand apart from platforms predominantly featuring user-generated content, as well as from subscription-based services. The term was coined by Alan Wolk to differentiate the category in a December 2018 article in TVREV.
Tom Ryan is the co-founder of Pluto TV and CEO and President of Streaming at Paramount Global. He oversees the company's global direct-to-consumer division, which includes paid and free streaming through businesses such as Paramount+ and Pluto TV.
↑ Layton, Mark (March 16, 2022). "News round-up: Pluto TV sets Nordics launch; ZED to sell Zelenskyy doc; Federation shops 'Good People'". TBIVision. Retrieved March 17, 2022. Paramount Global's AVOD service Pluto TV will launch in Sweden, Denmark and Norway on 18 May. The streamer will partner with NENT's Viafree service on 210 curated linear channels, offering viewers content ranging from reality shows such as MTV's Catfish to adult animated TV show South Park. NENT will handle advertising sales and contribute local titles to the service, while the Viafree streamer will close and integrate into Pluto TV.
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80 million monthly active users (as of April 1,2023 [update] )
