Pluto TV Delivers Its Biggest Transformation Yet, With an Enhanced Product Experience and Expanded On-Demand Library
Third-Party Content Investment Increases 63 Percent to Fuel the Expanded Library
New Brand Campaign Encourages An “Escape To Pluto TV” Featuring David Duchovny
 |
| Pluto TV |
Sept 23, 2026 - Los Angeles - Pluto TV is launching a completely rebuilt product experience, the result of moving the platform onto the same technology stack as Paramount+ and marking the company's largest technology investment since its founding 12 years ago. The redesign brings live and on-demand programming together through a more intuitive interface and richer personalization. The launch arrives as free streaming television becomes the fastest-growing segment of the streaming market, with viewers 18-34 now Pluto TV’s fastest-growing audience.
The platform advancements are paired with an expanded content strategy, including a 63 percent year-over-year increase in third-party licensed content from studios like NBCUniversal, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony, MGM and Lionsgate. This expansion brings era-defining series like: The X-Files, Arrow, Hart of Dixie and Burn Notice, along with blockbuster film franchises including: John Wick, Rocky, Creed and Jump Street and beloved titles like: A Star Is Born, The Notebook, and Pitch Perfect to the platform. Supporting the launch, a new brand campaign invites consumers everywhere to “Escape to Pluto TV,” anchored by a custom film starring David Duchovny, the undisputed king of extraterrestrial experiences, and featuring familiar Paramount+ faces including Landman's James Jordan and Paulina Chavez as well as Nickelodeon's Kel Mitchell.
"Free streaming is only getting more popular, but people are overwhelmed by choice. Our answer is proven hits, a library of tried and tested fan favorite titles that people return to over and over again, plus a product built to match it, and a brand people know they can turn to. That's what the new Pluto TV delivers, and it's why we see this as one of the biggest opportunities in our portfolio." - Cindy Holland, Chairman of DTC, Paramount Skydance.
“With the newly reimagined Pluto TV experience, we are entering into the next era of free streaming. By bringing live and on-demand entertainment in one intuitive experience and building on a stronger technology foundation, we’re giving our viewers the best of both worlds: the ease of turning on the TV and the personalization and control they expect from streaming, all for free. This is just the first step that will unlock even more value for audiences and advertisers as we innovate faster and build a more connected streaming ecosystem.” - Dane Glasgow, Chief Product Officer, Paramount Skydance.
ABOUT PRODUCT ENHANCEMENTS: The new Pluto TV experience brings live and on-demand entertainment together through a more intuitive interface, richer discovery and personalization, and more flexible ways to watch, all while remaining free. A redesigned Home screen and dedicated Movies and Shows hubs feature premium artwork, richer content details and personalized and curated carousels. An updated Channel Guide lets viewers favorite channels and explore upcoming programming, while Live-to-VOD functionality enables immediate on-demand playback of available titles directly from the guide. A unified live and on-demand player expands in-player browsing across devices, complemented by one-click restart, watchlist controls and unified search.
Looking forward, Paramount will continue to work on user experience enhancements to make it easier to find and watch content fans love, including an in-player channel changer, enhanced personalization on app load and new content discovery features such as Top 10 Carousels and Content Collections. This marks an important step in Paramount’s convergence strategy: sharing technology, data and capabilities across Pluto TV and Paramount+ while preserving what makes each service distinct. This foundation supports more consistent experiences and better discovery for viewers, stronger first-party signals for advertisers and faster innovation across both services.
ABOUT THE EXPANDED CONTENT OFFERING: Pluto TV's expanded content slate including proven hits like The X-Files, Arrow, The 100, Hart of Dixie, and Battlestar Galactica has contributed to strong growth in video-on-demand viewing over the past year. Monthly VOD viewership has grown 70 percent in 2026 with the new slate accounting for roughly a quarter of that growth. The lift has been especially pronounced among viewers aged 18-34, where their VOD viewing hours nearly doubled (+91%) over the same period, underscoring the platform's growing appeal with a new generation of viewers. This growth sits on top of a deepening Paramount library, with titles like Jane the Virgin, Ridiculousness, Being Mary Jane and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend among the latest additions. The platform has also introduced new formats including “Double Feature Fridays,” a weekly movie event launched in partnership with Entertainment Tonight.
 |
| Pluto TV |
ABOUT THE BRAND CAMPAIGN: In the campaign's new custom film, people everywhere leave the overwhelming challenges of earth behind and escape to the joy and comfort of their favorite shows and movies with Pluto TV. Whether on a train, at a bar or at home, viewers experiencing the effortless entertainment of Pluto TV are swept up in giant beams of golden light. The campaign's print suite carries that same spirit and includes specialty key art designed as an old-school 80's movie poster by artist Gregory Ruth, a companion piece to the brand film. The new "Escape To Pluto TV" film will be featured across digital and broadcast, including during the MTV Video Music Awards airing on both MTV and CBS on Sunday, Sept 27th.
 |
| Pluto TV |
 |
| Pluto TV |
 |
| Pluto TV |
 |
| Pluto TV |
 |
| Pluto TV |
 |
| Pluto TV |
ABOUT PLUTO TV:
Pluto TV is a global free streaming television service and part of the Direct-to-Consumer division at Paramount, a Skydance Corporation (Nasdaq: PSKY). Founded in 2014, Pluto TV pioneered free streaming television and is now updated with integrated technology built to superserve the modern entertainment consumer. As part of Paramount, Pluto TV has franchise access unmatched in free streaming television, including current series from the CBS portfolio, iconic Nickelodeon programming and Paramount theatrical films making their free streaming premiere exclusively on Pluto TV. Pluto TV is a curated destination that delivers a premium, personalized experience for audiences and advertisers around the world. Available across connected TV, mobile, and web, Pluto TV reaches viewers globally across more than 35 markets. For more information, visit www.pluto.tv.
###
Pluto TV’s New Experience Brings Live and On-Demand Entertainment Together
 |
| Paramount |
Sep 23, 2026 - Content Strategy
Pluto TV is launching a redesigned streaming experience that makes it easier to discover, navigate and enjoy free entertainment, whether viewers want to tune into a live channel, choose what to watch or escape into something they love.
The new experience brings live and on-demand programming together through a more intuitive interface, richer personalization and a shared technology foundation with Paramount+. It marks an important step in Paramount’s convergence strategy: connecting the technology, data and capabilities behind our streaming services while preserving what makes each one distinct.
For Pluto TV, that means combining the ease of television with the control and discovery tools audiences expect from modern streaming, all while remaining free.
One Home for Live and On-Demand Discovery
At the center of the experience is a redesigned Home screen. Starting this Summer, users now land on a destination that brings live and on-demand discovery together, rather than just dropping directly into a live channel.
An updated marquee and premium artwork create a richer visual experience, while a new Content Highlight module surfaces essential details without extra clicks. Improved metadata and a mix of personalized, automated and curated carousels help viewers make faster decisions across Home, the Live Channel Guide and the Movies and Shows hubs.
Movies and Shows are now organized into dedicated destinations, with each hub including its own marquee, genre categories and personalized carousels, making it easier to browse by content type. On mobile, Movies and Shows are elevated in the navigation, while expanded Content Details pages offer richer artwork and recommendations for similar programming.
A More Flexible Live TV Experience
Live television remains central to Pluto TV, but the new experience gives viewers greater control over how they watch.
 |
| Paramount |
The redesigned Channel Guide, including a refreshed mobile experience, lets users favorite channels and browse programming more than 24 hours in advance. A Live-to-VOD Side Panel allows viewers to move from the live schedule directly into an on-demand title when it is available, including restarting a currently airing program from the beginning with one click.
The live player includes an On Now carousel, while the on-demand player adds one-click restart and watchlist controls without leaving what’s playing. Unified search and type-ahead suggestions help viewers find relevant programming across both catalogs. These updates bring greater flexibility to live viewing while reducing the friction between live and on-demand entertainment.
 |
| Paramount |
The re-designed on-demand player introduces and streamlines features to give you greater control over how you watch your favorite content, while improvements to our underlying data and technology makes it even easier to find what you love.
Each feature supports a simple goal: helping audiences spend less time looking and more time watching.
How Convergence Unlocks the Next Generation of Free Streaming
Convergence is about building shared technology and capabilities that make both Paramount+ and Pluto TV unique. Pluto TV will continue to offer an expansive free streaming experience, while Paramount+ remains the company’s premium streaming service.
For users, this creates a more connected experience across Pluto TV and Paramount+, with more consistent functionality and better recommendations. For advertisers, registration and stronger first-party signals can support a deeper understanding of audiences and more relevant advertising. For content partners, improved discovery creates more opportunities for programming to reach the right viewers across live and on-demand environments. For Paramount’s product and technology teams, a shared foundation makes it possible to build capabilities once, apply them across services and bring new experiences to audiences faster.
Taken together, we are building a more personalized and connected experience while strengthening the signals that improve content recommendations and advertising.
The New Pluto TV is Just the Beginning
This launch establishes a foundation for Pluto TV’s continued evolution. As we continue to invest in the service, our viewers can expect even more exciting features, including an in-player live channel changer, unified accounts across Paramount+ and Pluto TV, Content Collections, Top 10 Carousels and Prominent Carousels highlighting popular content, Kids Mode and parental controls, Personalized End Cards that help you discover your next watch and more!
As we plan for the future, our viewers can expect a more unified experience across our streaming services while choosing the offering that best fits how they want to watch, especially for registered Pluto TV users. We will continue to experiment with new ways to drive registration that will help make Pluto feel more personalized, while unlocking even more value for our advertising partners.
By bringing together the best of live television and on-demand streaming in one connected, intuitive experience, the new Pluto TV makes it easier than ever for audiences to Escape to Pluto. It also demonstrates what convergence can unlock at Paramount: better products for audiences, stronger opportunities for advertisers and a technology foundation built for faster innovation across our streaming ecosystem.
 |
| Paramount |
###
Shop Paramount+ at ParamountShop.com
Stream a Mountain of Entertainment, including your Nickelodeon favorites on Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!
Add NickALive! to Google Preferred Sources
Originally published: September 24, 2026.
