Pluto TV Review—Is It Worth It?

Pluto TV is a streaming service that works over the Internet. Unlike many digital content providers like Prime Video, Sling TV, DirecTV Now, Hulu, and Netflix, Pluto TV is completely free. If you’ve ever used one of the media streaming apps like Plex or Kodi, Pluto TV feels a bit like that, but without the guilty suspicion that half the content you’re looking at is probably violating someone’s copyright. Everything on Pluto TV, whether live or on-demand, is obtained through third-party providers and major networks. There is ZERO torrent scraping or illegal streams. All content has been licensed to Pluto TV.

Pluto TV’s service curates content into channels by collecting media from various sources and organizing everything into categories, such as news, sports, comedy, romance, gaming, entertainment, music, radio, and much more. The service makes money by showing ads between programs.

Pluto TV seems to work amazingly well! Since March 2020, the advertiser-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) provider has established deals with over 170 content partners. Their content connections allow them to deliver over 250 channels of on-demand and live TV entertainment, and they’ve reached over 230 million users every month! Their concept was to create a cable-like experience (guide and functionality) without the cost of a subscription. So far, it appears that the idea has proved successful.

Pluto TV Live TV Example:

Pluto TV On-Demand Example:

How to access Pluto TV

Pluto TV is available on just about every platform in existence. There are Pluto TV apps for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and just about every streaming video player, including Roku, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, PlayStation 4, and Chromecast. The apps are lightweight and have attractive and efficient interfaces based on the tried and true cable TV grid. Pluto TV is accessible via an app or directly in the browser. Apps are available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.

Pluto TV content

Most of the content on Pluto TV comes from public sources. Pluto TV is owned by ViacomCBS Inc. (spelled correctly), and as a result, the service has been able to get deals with content providers like BBC, CNBC, NBC, CBSN, IGN, CNET, MTV, Nick, BET, Comedy Central, Spike, and many other networks.

The service regularly adds new content to its channels. Content is available in the channels section, which works like standard TV. Then there’s also an extensive On-Demand section, where you can pick and choose and watch what you want.

The content is sometimes a curious mix of new and old. The news channels have what you would typically expect: a few big names like CBS, CNN, Sky News, and then some lesser-known channels like Cheddar News. The movie channels are an eclectic mix of TV oldies, classics, second-string new releases, a fair sampling of older but first-rate movies, and even some genuine recent hits. It’s not what you’re going to find on HBO or Showtime. Still, it’s not far off the mark, plus it doesn’t cost anything. Pluto TV’s contracts deliver great movies like The Rainmaker, Grease 2, Shaft, The Ninth Gate, Out of Time, First Knight, Addams Family Values, Total Recall, Maximum Conviction, Lemony Snickets, Kiss The Girls, Friday The 13th, Death Warrant, The Golden Child, and much more!

Comedy content is pretty good and features many YouTube videos and content from The Onion and Cracked. It, too, changes often and has broad appeal. There is also a lot of good material from Comedy Central on specialized channels.

Music is abundant on Pluto TV. Most cable television providers don’t offer much of a selection or variety. The on-demand section includes specific categories like music concerts, music docs, classic rock, and pop music.

The Live TV section includes a Music Category full of videos and audio music.

Sports is a weak spot for Pluto TV, presumably because of licensing. You won’t see live games, but you can see great replays, documentaries, shows, and more. They also feature live poker, American Gladiators, and other sports-related events.

As for the Cats 24/7 live TV channel in the comedy category, no more needs to be said about that!

Pluto TV price and quality

Pluto TV is free, so the price is not an issue. There are ads in between shows and movies, but they’re considerably less and quick to pass, unlike cable television. During testing, Pluto TV only saw between two or three very quick commercials, often with one or two of them being a 10 to 20-second Pluto TV advertisement. Video and audio quality tends to be excellent, but it depends on the broadcast, Internet speeds, and your router or smartphone signal. Watching an older sitcom isn’t going to look or sound spectacular, but newer shows and movies will. The user interface is very straightforward, except when using a browser, where it can be a little crowded.

The Pluto TV experience

The user experience is much the same no matter what device you use. Navigation and stream selection are the same as on any media center app. Find something to watch on any device or browser, select the stream, and enjoy. That’s all there is to it.

Is Pluto TV a Good On-Demand and Live TV Option?

Let’s start with some questions.

Is Pluto TV worth watching? The answer is yes. As a budget alternative to cable TV, is it worth it? The answer is yes, for sure. Is it a complete replacement for cable service? The answer is no.

While free and of excellent quality at zero dollars, the content is somewhat mixed up. Unlike cable, there is no VH1, MTV, Spike, Discovery, TV Land, Comedy Central, or similar channels. Sure, Pluto TV gets content from those sources, but they mesh them into unique channels, such as COPS Spike, MTV The Hills, Unsolved Mysteries, DOG The Bounty Hunter, TV Land Sitcoms, STAND UP TV, and more.

Some channels are close to what you get from cable, but they are limited, such as MTV Pluto, Spike Pluto, CMT Pluto, CNN, Comedy Central Pluto, Nick Pluto, and more. Furthermore, Pluto TV is a service in itself, creating the channels and the advertisements. Pluto TV has a good variety of live TV and on-demand content, but it does not provide the assortment that cable TV offers, at least not yet.

The guide is sleek in appearance, and you can now see what is coming up next by clicking the “>” icon on the right side of the guide. Previously, you couldn’t forward the time to see what was coming up later.

In addition, you can now search for your favorite movies, TV shows, musical artists, and more. Previously, there was no search function, and you had to scan the lists of on-demand content or live TV channels to see what was available.

Like cable TV and other streaming providers, Pluto TV DOES HAVE content ratings for both on-demand and live TV. When you click or tap an on-demand item from the list, it brings up information, along with its TV rating. When you click on a live channel, it displays the TV rating near the progress bar area. You can click on the video stream anytime to bring up the info if you missed it.

Sample of Pluto TV’s Live TV Rating Information:

Sample of TV Rating and Programming Information After Clicking the “i” in Live TV:

Overall, Pluto TV is breaking waves in the on-demand and digital programming industry. The interface is nice, and they have an excellent variety of content to enjoy, from famous TV shows to great 80s and 90s movies, plus newer movies from major motion picture companies.

ViacomCBS Inc. is currently improving services with more content, more control, and more functionality. It will be interesting to see what comes next! By the way, some of the older functions, like customizing your preferences and channels, were removed. So, if you read about those features somewhere, they’re not valid anymore.

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