What is Pluto TV? We tell you everything you need to know

Posted by Md Khann on June 29th, 2021

With so many streaming services available, keeping track of what shows or movies are available can be a daunting task. And if popular services like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon grab your attention, not all are in a position to subscribe to more than one. If this is your case, we will tell you what Pluto TV is, a free platform different from the traditional ones.

The freemium service combines live television with on-demand content that many subscribers might be interested in. As the source for all content on Vizio's WatchFree service, it also offers an attractive collection of over 250 channels and thousands of free movies and shows for the low, very low price of absolutely nothing (plus a few ads). Best of all, the service has only gotten better since it started rubbing shoulders with the major television networks. Let's go to the details.

What is Pluto TV?

Owned by Viacom since last year, it is a live TV streaming service, similar to Sling TV, DirecTV Now, and Hulu + Live TV. But unlike those platforms, which offer access to the channels that are on cable TV, Pluto TV offers free content, selected mainly from what is already available online.

This feature makes it a similar service to  Rabbit TV, which costs $ 24 per year, with the difference that Pluto TV has been offered free of charge since its launch in 2014, which has allowed it to gain momentum quite quickly. The service already had more than 28 million active users about a year ago, becoming the largest free television broadcast platform in the United States. These numbers can only grow since it has been available in Latin America since March.

On Pluto TV you'll find content from well-known channels, as well as some that you've probably never heard of if you don't watch a lot of videos online. Even if you are subscribed to a live TV streaming service, you should definitely consider using this option, which is quite rich in content.

In March 2020, Pluto shook the market by introducing its new user interface, which makes it easy to discover and play content. The core of navigation is linearity, which allows you to jump to any of the main live TV categories: sports, movies, news, entertainment, comedy, with a maximum of one or two clicks. This philosophy extends to the video-on-demand interface, which offers funnier categories such as romantic comedies while retaining the spirit of a traditional TV guide. In October, Pluto TV added new channels, including CMT Equal Play, The Bob Ross Channel, The Design Network, and a channel dedicated to  Netflix's Narcos show.

In addition, you can now specify your favorite channels to make it easy to find them in a list of more than 250, as well as save individual programs, clips, and movies. If you choose something you want to see, Pluto offers you a preview panel to show more information such as the list of actors, directors, and trailers.

How is Pluto TV different from WatchFree from Vizio TVs?

Basically, WatchFree is Pluto TV, although it is only included as such on Vizio TVs and works slightly differently than the app does on other devices. On Vizio TVs, WatchFree appears as an input, similar to how your cable box, a streaming device (like a Roku or Apple TV), or a game console would. All the programming that you will find in WatchFree is exactly the same since Pluto is the one who covers that service. Aside from the name and some specific interface differences, most of what you are reading in this article can be applied to the Vizio WatchFree.

What channels are available?

You can quickly check out the content library for a free service, but there's so much more to it, especially with 175+ content partners offering entertainment on 240+ channels. You will find some categories of regular programming such as news, sports, movies, entertainment, and comedy, and you will also be able to enjoy other programs more related to the internet, such as the Chill Out, Life + Style, and Geek + Gaming sections.

Although standard TV channels are not very popular on this service, you can find some that are represented through their web counterparts, such as Bloomberg, Cheddar, CNBC, MSNBC, CBSN, The Weather Network, and many others. Since April 2019, it has added to CNN, although not the signal you get by cable, but a channel with short-form digital content, with clips oriented towards lifestyle and culture, climate change, the environment, and research. and original interviews. And in December 2019, he added CMT, Kevin Hart's Laugh out Loud, and Red Bull alongside new themed channels, especially aimed at fans of pop culture and reality TV.

Sports coverage is less traditional. For example, it doesn't offer channels like ESPN, but at least you'll find options like Fight, World Poker Tour, Impact Wrestling, a network dedicated to Sports News, Glory Kickboxing, and the Big Whatsapp Sky Network. DAZN recently signed a deal for an original weekly series, but there is a possibility to expand this partnership in the future. In addition, it added an official channel of the PGA Tour, which provides 24/7 coverage of one of the largest golf tournaments.

In the entertainment section, reruns of reality shows and documentaries are included, such as episodes of Dennis The Menace, Thunderbirds, and other older television shows. Among those various channels, you'll also find Wipeout, a network that only shows reruns of the popular game show and various iterations from different countries, as well as Nosy, which shows reruns of The Jerry Springer Show and The Maury Show, among others. The Curiosity section features Science TV, Docu TV, Xive TV, and even a live broadcast from NASA. New additions include Pluto TV Sitcoms, which offers a selection of older sitcoms like 3rd Rock from the Sun andThe Lucy Show, and a Spanish channel, Pluto TV Cine.

This type of hyper-focused network is part of the essence of Pluto TV, which also has Stand Up, a channel dedicated only to that type of comedy, Anime All Day, and a channel dedicated to fails. Other similar channels include Slow TV, which shows relaxing images, Pluto TV Travel, and Cats 24/7, which are self-explanatory.

In June 2020, it incorporated the channels The FBI Archives, Babar, Animals, Romance Movies, Suspense Movies, and Action Anime, where you can follow series such as Naruto, Bleach, and Death for free and legally. These are in addition to those that arrived in May 2020: Soccer for Fans, Home, Teens, and Marathons.

There are also several internet radio stations, provided by Dash Radio, that you can find as a separate service. The more modern types of music such as hip-hop, electronic music, and pop are the most prevalent, although stations are also available with classic rock, soul, and jazz.

Recently, Pluto has been striving to increase its international presence. During its first year of operations in the United Kingdom, two specific British channels were added, and in August the free service reached 17 Latin American countries.

The same month, Pluto TV added more CBS content in addition to several new channels, including Dabl, Johnny Carson TV, Demand Africa, Three's Company, The Rifleman, Loupe, Classic TV Comedy, Classic TV Drama, Western TV, Pluto TV Fantastic, Pluto TV Love Stories and Pluto TV Suspense.