Pluto TV CEO Tom Ryan has always been a forward-thinking kind of a guy and along with his talented team, they put together one of the most successful free streaming video offerings on the market with over 12 million subscribers. Now this week their long-anticipated $340 million purchase by Viacom is complete and the future is very bright for all of us who love our Pluto TV.
Ryan spoke to me about 48 hours after the ink began to dry on his new deal with one of the media world’s biggest and most powerful players. We talked about the purchase of Pluto TV by Viacom which will keep Ryan in charge and of course what we can expect Pluto TV will be able to do with their new expansive library of content.
Before you listen to the entire interview here are a few highlights.
Ryan on what is coming to Pluto TV – “There are tens of thousands of hours of Viacom programming that has never before seen on stream services will be headed to Pluto TV and these are shows that are household names. We also are excited about our continued expansion in Europe as well our future plans of going into South America. This is all part of our mission to bring Pluto TV to the world.
Ryan on why Pluto TV and Viacom are such a great fit- We have a shared vision of how to provide quality entertainment to viewers worldwide on a free, ad-supported streaming video service. It is that shared vision that brought us together in the first place and we hope will serve us well into the future.
“The completion of this deal marks an exciting next step in Viacom’s evolution and a powerful opportunity for us to extend our consumer reach and broaden our ability to add value across the industry as the media landscape continues to segment,” said Bob Bakish, Viacom’s President/CEO. “Together with Pluto TV, we look forward to becoming a stronger partner to distributors, advertisers, content providers and audiences around the world.”
Some fast facts: Founded in 2013, Pluto TV streams more than 100 channels with over 150 content partners and on-demand content spanning television and movies, sports, news, lifestyle, comedy, cartoons, gaming, and trending digital series. You can access their content from your phone, tablet, laptop, streaming devices or gaming consoles.
Meanwhile Viacom brings to Pluto TV their portfolio of powerhouse networks MTV, MTV2, MTV, Live, MTV Classic, MTVU, VH1, Logo TV, Comedy Central, Spike, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Nick Jr, TeenNick, Nicktoons, NickMusic, TV Land CMT, CMT Music, and oh yes how about all the content from Paramount.
This deal is a very smart move by both Pluto TV and Viacom that will make for a strong streaming service that viewers worldwide will embrace. If you have not yet tried Pluto TV I highly recommend you do!
