ViacomCBS rolls AVOD Pluto TV into Lat Am

ViacomCBS has rolled its ad-supported streamer Pluto TV into Latin America with a raft of content from the likes of BBC Studios, Endemol Shine Group and Fremantle.

The service launches with 24 linear channels that will be added to over the next 12 months to reach a total of more than 70, ViacomCBS said.

Pluto TV will offer over 12,000 hours of content from over 60 content providers including the trio above as well as Lionsgate and Hearst. This is an increase from the 55 partners previously announced by the broadcaster in mid-March.

The service is tailored to Latin America, with series and movies across a variety of genres available to be viewed for free on demand or via linear channel streams.

To complement the launch, Pluto TV has also added a section called ‘Quedate en casa #JuntosADistancia’ (‘Stay home’) to encourage social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The service, whose launch comes slightly after the initially touted rollout of late March, is accessible across web browsers, Apple TV, Android TV and iOS and Android devices in 17 countries in the region.

These include: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, El Salvador, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

JC Acosta, president ViacomCBS Networks Americas, said: “As Pluto TV expands rapidly around the world, I am thrilled to announce that Pluto TV is now available to the consumers in Latin America, one of the world’s most important and biggest markets.

“This innovative product offering is a great complement to our OTT products. It allows us to continue to entertain audiences across the region and work with our partners to bring this never before seen offering of free streaming television to Latin American audiences.”

Tom Ryan, CEO, and co-founder of Pluto TV, said: “We launched Pluto TV six years ago with a mission to entertain the planet and a vision to become the global leader in free streaming television. Now, we are the leading free streaming TV platform in America and growing rapidly in Europe.

“Today marks a major step forward in our mission, and we are thrilled to offer people across Latin America, one of the world’s largest markets, access to our popular streaming TV service.”