Pluto TV is the new streaming service that arrives in Mexico with a format similar to cable television. Its launch was planned for the end of March and when browsing its website, we discovered that the service is already active.
Pluto TV is a free service that does not need an account, upon entering the site you will have immediate access to “live television”, where you’ll be able to see the guide with the 24 channels currently available, all with different programming.
Being the source of all the content for Vizio’s WatchFree service, which comes bundled on its 4K TVs, Pluto offers an enticing collection of more than 250 channels and thousands of free movies and TV shows for the low, low price of absolutely nothing (except your time watching ads), which has only gotten better since it started rubbing elbows with major network broadcasters. Let’s dive deeper.
What is Pluto TV?
Owned by Viacom as of March 2019 and unrelated to the little tiny planet that could, Pluto TV is a live-TV streaming service, not entirely unlike Sling TV and such competitors as DirecTV Now, Hulu+ Live TV, or other similar services. But unlike those services which offer streaming access to channels you’d find on cable TV, Pluto TV offers free content mainly curated from what’s already available online.
In this way, it’s similar to Rabbit TV, though that service costs $24 per year. Pluto TV launched in 2014 and picked up steam fairly quickly. The service has more than 20 million active users as of November 2019, making it the largest free TV streaming service in the U.S. That number can only grow as Pluto nears a launch in Latin America, the first beneficiaries being Brazil by year’s end.
On Pluto TV, you’ll find content from channels you recognize, as well as some you’ve likely never heard of if you don’t watch a lot of online videos. Even those who already subscribe to a live TV streaming service may find it useful thanks to the curated layout, though this will depend on your personal preferences.
In March 2020, Pluto shook things up with a user interface overhaul that streamlined the entire process for content discovery and playback. The chief theme in navigation is linearity, with the service making it possible to jump into any of its main live TV categories — sports, movies, news, entertainment, comedy — with just one or two clicks. This philosophy extends to the video-on-demand UI, which offers up more playful categories like “rom coms”, all the while retaining the spirit of the traditional TV guide.
Additionally, you’ll now be able to specify your favorite channels to save you from weeding through its 250-plus channel list, and you can also save individual shows, clips, and movies to a watch list. Once you finally decide what you’re watching, Pluto now offers a preview panel to show more information like the cast list, directors, and trailers.