Pluto TV Entertains the Planet

Tom Ryan made a bet on three things when Pluto TV launched: A linear viewing experience as on-demand grew, a free platform in the age of paid subscription and ad-supported while others pursued new revenue streams. “With those contrarian insights, we launched Pluto TV,” Ryan said. And he had one additional key insight: “People like to be programmed to.” Pluto wants to mirror the best of traditional TVs curated, low-effort viewing experience by offering great content without fees, passwords or even clicking “next episode.” And after joining Paramount, Pluto TV is fueled for continued growth.

When Amy Kuessner first joined Pluto TV, the streaming market was swamped with paid video-on-demand. “Pluto was free and linear,” she said. “I thought that was an interesting business model.” Pluto’s disruptive approach and data-driven channel curation process uses session data and watch frequency to offer viewers great experiences. And those findings have helped Pluto TV build a suite of channels featuring everything from cult classic films to cooking shows. “We really believe in the lean-back viewing experience,” Kuessner said. “Drop in and find a variety of content.”