Pluto TV is owned by ViacomCBS and aims to provide free premium services. Pluto TV offers content from famous networks and will undoubtedly satisfy your needs.
Pluto has MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, NBC News, Sky News, and many more. You can access them on-demand functionality and through video streaming.
Pluto TV has more than 1000 free on-demand TV movies and shows and over 100 channels.
The best thing is that you can install Pluto TV on many devices. It’s compatible with Amazon Fire Stick/TV, Kindle, Chromecast, iOS, Android, and Roku. So let’s find out.
Is Pluto TV Free On Roku
Yes, it is free. Roku channel store has more than one hundred online streaming apps. Among them, it’s only a few that offer premium content at no cost.
Pluto TV is among the top Roku compatible TV services that offer free premium content. You can watch several exclusive and unique channels on Pluto TV. They include news, documentaries, sports, and many more.
What Is Pluto TV
Pluto TV is under the OTT (Over-the-Top) service category with others like Netflix. This means its services come through the internet and not on dedicated lines.
For its services, you can directly stream it from the Pluto TV website. Alternatively, you can down Pluto TV App on any device that supports it.
Devices That Support Pluto TV
You can download and use the Pluto TV app on streaming sticks, boxes, smartphones, smart TVs, and web browsers. Here is a list of devices that support Pluto TV.
- Roku TVs and devices
- Amazon Fire Tablets and Kindles
- iPad and iPhone
- Android Tablet and Mobile
- Various Android TVs
- Web Browsers
- Google Chromecast
- TiVo Stream 4K
Pluto TV Free Package (With Adverts)
Many first-timers to hear about Pluto TV do not believe it’s free. But, yes, Pluto TV is free. If you launch their app, it will not ask you even for the email address.
The email address is always the most basic requirement for many apps and sites. It will also not ask you to put your credit information. All you need to do is launch the Pluto App or website and start watching your favorite comedy, sport, or news channel.
However, there is an option of registering a Pluto TV account. The account comes with unique features like resume watching a program or designating your program on another device.
The experience of watching Pluto TV is similar to that of watching cable TV. Any half-hour show will have at most commercial breaks. During each break, several Ads will play.
History Of Pluto TV
Pluto TV was founded by Nick Group, Ilya Pozin, and Tom Ryan (CEO). However, Pluto TV was unveiled to the public in March 2014.
The TV started with about 100 channels. It has 15 full-time employees who manually curated the content. The employees would technically watch videos and then select the best videos shown on Pluto TV channels.
The company received various cash injections and thus added more content and channel to its platform. In 2017, Pluto TV introduced on-demand videos, which allowed users to stream TV shows, movies, and other content.
In 2019, Pluto TV was acquired by Viacom for $340 million. It was a strategic acquisition for Viacom, which had tried to move its content online but did not get much viewership.
The acquisition made Pluto TV add more channels like BET Pluto, MTV Pluto, Comedy Central Pluto, and many more. Pluto did create “Pop-up Channels” like the MTV show “The Hills” that aired exclusive content during specific periods.
Early 2020 Pluto did launch Spanish TV content in the United States of America. In April 2020, it launched the Spanish TV content in Latin American countries like Peru, Columbia, Argentina, etc. Pluto TV is available in 24 countries worldwide, focusing on being among the media powerhouses.
Pluto TV Channels and Shows
The channels in Pluto TV are in various categories like Tech +Geek, Entertainment, Sport, Movies, and Comedies.
The sports channels on Pluto TV are the popular ones like Fox Sports, Major League Soccer, and PGA Tour and NFL channel.
The sports channels only show analysis, highlights, and past games; it does not show live sports.
The news channels are also the ones you know, like CBS, NBC, CNN, and many more. Again it doesn’t show live stream content; it only indicates pre-recorded and plays curated clips.
The shows on Pluto TV are mostly reality shows and older sitcoms on other free streaming services such as Roseanne, The First 48, and Hell’s Kitchen.
Pluto added another channel, Pluto TV 007, and this channel only streams James Bond movies. There is also the British comedy channel and Pluto TV pranks.
How Pluto TV Makes Money
Pluto majorly makes money through adverts that are usually shown when you switch channels. The adverts typically last about 30 to 60 seconds when you change the channels.
But within a movie, it can take up to three minutes. According to the agreement, the money the ad generates is shared between the content owner and Pluto TV.
Pluto TV Features
Picture Quality
The video quality of all Pluto TV content is excellent. The mobile app comes with three different resolutions, which are high, medium, and low.
However, there is usually a variation in visual performance between the on-demand and live content, but the on-demand quality is better.
Closed Captioning
Although Pluto TV is free, it has pretty essential and very simple features. Pluto TV closed captioning abilities capabilities are better than for most paid services. It allows you to adjust the font color, size, type, and captions opacity.
Web Player and Playback
The Pluto TV web player is great for a free service. You can access the channels, on-demand content, and shows through sideways scrollable playlists.
Its playback has fast-forwarded and fast-rewind. However, Pluto TV lacks storage features, but this is not a big deal since it’s free. But once you start watching a movie, you can always continue from where you left.
Alternatives To Pluto TV
IMDb TV
It’s an Amazon free content streaming service with terrific television shows and recent films. The IMDb TV is gaining popularity quite fast, and today they are adding more original content like Alex Rider.
Crackle
This TV is the oldest when it comes to free streaming services. The TV has several movies and shows with exclusive and original content. If you sign up for the free account, you will get additional features like parental control.
Tubi TV
Tubi TV offers more of what Pluto TV offers, and these are new and classic movies and shows to stream on-demand. The TV is also working on producing original content and also providing local news.
Peacock
The TV is owned and operated by NBC Universal. Like Pluto and Netflix, it’s “over-the-top,” meaning it’s available through the internet and not cable.
Peacock TV was launched on 15th July 2020 by August had 54 million sign-ups. It mainly shows film and series content from NBC Universal and other third-party studios.
The service offers free content with ads. The premium tiers have a more extensive content library and additional content like WWE and NBC sports.
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Conclusion
Pluto TV is accessible on Roku and worth a try. The TV is also supported by other devices like Amazon kindle and android phones.
From Roku, you will be able to access more than one hundred free channels with legitimate content.
However, if you are looking for a complete cable replacement, you should not go for Roku Pluto TV.
Instead, you can consider Amazon Prime Video or Netflix. Pluto is best for entertainment since it has an extensive catalog of channels and movies.
