Pluto TV is undoubtedly one of the most influential players in the FAST eco-system. Not only is the Paramount Skydance-owned platform one of the most well-known and farthest reaching global FAST platforms, available in over a dozen global markets, but it also has the largest number of Owned & Operated (O&O) FAST channels of any service in the market.
When compared against the other major platforms in the US, Pluto’s O&O business has a far greater scale than any of their competitors, leading the other by well over 100 channels. 1st-party channels have long been a core of Pluto’s proposition, with other platforms seemingly prioritising 3rd party channels over licensing content and programming their own channels. Pluto has been remarkably successful in scaling up their O&O channels, partly due to their close ties to Paramount’s extensive library of content and programming from renowned networks such as MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and BET. Of those over 175 O&O FAST channels on their platform in the US, 46% are scripted TV or movie channels. This provides significant insight into the types of content Pluto deems to be central to their customers, considering that on average only 25% of all channels in the US are of scripted content. However, Pluto’s 1st party offering also reaches beyond its own platform.
Pluto’s influence is further underpinned by just how many of their competitor platforms are willing to host their O&O channels. In the US alone, other major platforms like Vizio, Roku, Amazon Prime Video, and Samsung TV Plus have dozens of Pluto’s original channels. The vast majority of Pluto’s channels on other services are from Paramount-owned single IP, and while Pluto themselves have historically utilised Paramount’s traditional linear networks, such as BET, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central, these brands play a minimal role across the market.
However, upon examining how these channels are presented, we can discern a substantial amount of Pluto branding on these competing services. For instance, Samsung TV Plus offers numerous Pluto TV-branded thematic channels in the United States, while The Roku Channel consistently promotes Pluto TV-branded channels on its platform through channel thumbnails and hero images. While other US platforms like Xumo Play, Local Now, and Prime Video distribute their own FAST channels on other platforms, Pluto has long maintained its first-mover advantage for several years. However, it will be interesting to see how long these Pluto channels maintain their position on competitor services as the market for 3d party channels grows and these other platforms also develop and compete with their own O&O offerings.
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