Pluto TV becomes exclusive free streaming home of 4 titles
Pluto TV becomes exclusive free streaming home of 4 titles
The beloved shows from the 2000s and 2010s will stream exclusively on Pluto TV for the foreseeable future.
Exclusivity isn’t all that common among free streaming services, especially outside of original TV shows and movies. Most free streaming services have large areas of overlap in their content libraries, as studios want to collect as much revenue as possible by spreading series and films around. But Pluto TV is bucking the trend, announcing that it will host four popular TV shows from recent decades exclusively going forward.
Key Details:
- Only found here: Pluto will exclusively stream four titles from the 2000s and 2010s.
- For the kids: The move is based on research that shows 72% of Gen Z viewers prefer content from these decades.
- More to come?: Pluto could be on its way to launching its first original content.
Pluto revealed on Monday that it would be the only free streaming service offering episodes of “The 100,” “Arrow,” “Everwood,” and “Hart of Dixie” henceforward. “My Wife and Kids” will join the lineup in May. These shows will be available on free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels, as well as on demand.
Pluto’s move to make these titles exclusively available is founded in research from NRG that shows 72% of Gen Z audiences say they prefer content from the 2000s or 2010s. All of the above-mentioned titles are from those decades, and they join a wide selection of other such shows and movies in the Pluto library.
The data from NRG also shows that library titles, not original programming, are the primary driver of TV viewing, accounting for 60% of all TV watched nationally. That number jumps 65% among viewers 18 to 34, showing that the fascination with nostalgia is strong among younger cohorts.
“Pluto TV is central to our direct-to-consumer strategy. Free streaming is expanding faster than any other segment of the market, and 18-34 year olds are our fastest growing audience,” Paramount Skydance executive Cindy Holland said. “We’re building a more deliberate and curated experience for our consumers that delivers real value to our partners. Free streaming doesn’t have to be a warehouse, it is a destination.”
Could the move presage bigger things to come for Pluto? The streamer is one of the last free services not to offer original content; both The Roku Channel and Tubi offer original titles. With the new Paramount Skydance ownership team now in charge, it’s certainly possible that a larger overhaul of Pluto — including the addition of original shows and movies — is on the way.
