Pluto TV Entertains the Planet

As part of Paramount Streaming’s portfolio, Pluto TV offers the best of both worlds: the resources of a large global company paired with a start-up approach to innovation and experimentation. When co-founder and CEO Tom Ryan entered the free, ad-supported streaming television arena with a “contrarian idea,” he knew there was potential for growth, and he was proven right as the company grew to a $1B valuation and joined Paramount’s family of brands. Pluto TV offers nearly 50 million global viewers a familiar broadcast TV-style viewing experience that requires no payments and no passwords. And with a mission of “entertaining the planet,” the opportunities for growth are out of this world.

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I’m looking for people who are incredibly curious. Innate curiosity with no ego is the key to finding and solving problems.

Vibol Hou, CTO for Paramount Streaming

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Vibol Hou only meant to spend a few days working with Pluto TV’s small but mighty team as they prepared for launch. But soon, Hou joined the company as CTO and led Pluto’s journey to build a free, ad-supported streaming television platform to improve viewer experience and create something new. Now, they’re ready to do it again. “We have started brainstorming around the future of entertainment as we tie content, technology and experiences together to figure out what's next,” he said. “We can innovate our pathway to where the consumer wants to be.”

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The Pluto TV team built a plane with a dozen engines. All engines are firing, and we are taking this plane around the globe.

Tom Ryan, President & CEO for Paramount Streaming

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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.

We curate entertainment channels and lineups thematically designed to be diverse and appealing to both broad and niche audiences.

Amy Kuessner, Executive Vice President, Paramount Streaming

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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.”