Pluto TV is bolstering its channel lineup this month, and one of the two networks coming to the platform will feature a huge title. A report from Media Play News “Criminal Minds” is heading to Paramount’s free streaming platform at the end of January, alongside a channel dedicated to the 1990s’ grocery store game show “Supermarket Sweep.”

• The exact date for the arrival of the “Criminal Minds” channel on Pluto has not been revealed.
• The series was the sixth-most-watched show among women in 2022 according to Nielsen.
• “Criminal Minds” is no longer available on Netflix, leaving Hulu and Paramount+ as the only services that offer the show without ads.

When is ‘Criminal Minds’ Coming to Pluto TV?

According to the report, the new “Criminal Minds” channel is headed to Pluto TV before the end of the month. No official date has been revealed, but before January is finished fans will be able to stream “Criminal Minds” at no cost so long as they don’t mind viewing the show with a few commercials.

The intriguing thing about the move is that when “Criminal Minds” does become available on Pluto TV, the free streamer will be one of only three sources for watching it — more on the others below. “Criminal Minds” was previously available on both Paramount+ and Netflix, and has bounced on and off those services for years as Paramount figures out the best licensing formula for the title.

Limiting the show’s availability is a bit of a gamble for Paramount. “Criminal Minds” was the sixth-ranked streaming title among women in 2022, according to data from Nielsen. It was streamed for more than 5 billion minutes in that year, and its availability on Netflix — the world’s largest streaming service— surely lent to that popularity.

On the other hand, now that Pluto TV will be one of the primary ways to stream “Criminal Minds,” it creates something of a captive audience for Paramount. By putting it on a free, ad-supported streaming service Paramount is lowering the barrier to accessing the show, and it’s a good bet the company will see a rise in viewing hours on Pluto TV after adding “Criminal Minds.”

Where Can You Stream ‘Criminal Minds’ Ad-Free Now?

As of the time of this writing, “Criminal Minds” is not available on Netflix, which as mentioned has distributed the series in the past. The show is still available on Paramount+ in full, but all seasons have been placed in the “Criminal Minds: Evolution” tile. Paramount+ can be streamed ad-free for $11.99 per month, or customers can go ad-supported for $5.99 per month if they value the ability to stream episodes on-demand in whatever order they want.

Hulu also carries all 15 seasons of the original run of “Criminal Minds,” which first came to airwaves in 2005. Users can sign up for ad-free Hulu for $17.99 per month, or they can bundle it with ad-free Disney+ and get both streamers for $19.99 per month.