Pluto TV
Pluto TV is an Internet-based TV platform operated by Pluto Inc.[1][2] The company was founded in 2013 and is based in Los Angeles, California.[3] Pluto TV runs as an app on 14 platforms,[4] including Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, and PlayStation consoles.[5] The company currently has more than 75 content partners, over 100 free channels, and reaches over 6 million monthly active users.[6] Pluto TV generates revenue from video advertisements between programming, with plans to remain a free television provider.[7] Pluto TV licenses its content directly from providers.[8]
History
In 2014, Pluto TV raised $13 million in Series A funding.[7]
In July 2015, Pluto TV signed a deal with Hulu to distribute Hulu's free video content.[9] In October 2015, they added 20 additional channels, bringing the total number of additional channels to above 100.[10] On May 15, 2016, Pluto TV signed a deal with Sony to launch the Pluto TV app on the PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.
In 2016, the company raised $30 million in Series B venture capital funding, valuing the company at $140 million. The round was led by German TV station ProSieben, with additional funding from telecommunications company Sky UK .[7] Pluto Inc. added a chief programming officer role in April, 2017.[11]
In 2017, Pluto TV added a large library of on-demand movies and television shows.[12] Variety reported that as of May 2017[update], the service was averaging 6 million users per month,[13] and was rated one of the most-watched apps on Roku, as of October 2017[update].[14] A channel dedicated to movies from The Asylum was added in June 2017.[15]
As of February 2018[update], Pluto had over 100 channels, including live news and sports.[16]
References
- ^ "Hey Cord-Cutters: Pluto.TV Launches With 85 Channels Of Free, TV-Style Internet Video". Forbes. March 31, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ^ Pluto Inc. "Pluto TV - Android Apps on Google Play". google.com. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ^ "Pluto, Inc.: Private Company Information - Businessweek". bloomberg.com. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ^ "Partner - Pluto.tv". Pluto.tv. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
- ^ "About Us". Pluto TV. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
- ^ "Free streaming TV service Pluto TV raises $8.3M, in new round led by Samsung – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
- ^ a b c Perez, Sarah. "Pluto TV, a free streaming service for cord cutters, raises $30 million more". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2017-04-30.
- ^ "Pluto aims to bring TV to the Internet". Yahoo Finance. 17 February 2016. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ^ "Hulu inks distribution deal with Pluto TV". CED. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ^ "Pluto TV Adds 20 New Channels Including IGN, The Onion, AwesomenessTV, Newsy, And The Young Turks". Android Police. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (2017-04-04). "Pluto TV Taps Former E! Exec Robert Magdlen as Chief Programming Officer". Variety. Retrieved 2017-04-30.
- ^ "Streaming TV service Pluto TV adds an on-demand video library – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (2017-05-16). "Pluto TV, Angling to Become the Spotify of Premium Video, Launches Free On-Demand Service (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
- ^ Roku. "Roku". Roku. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
- ^ "The Asylum Opens on Pluto TV - Dread Central". www.dreadcentral.com. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
- ^ "The Cord Cutters Guide to Pluto TV (A FREE Streaming Service) - Cord Cutters News". Cord Cutters News. 2018-02-24. Retrieved 2018-04-27.