Pluto TV announces distribution deals with TiVo and Verizon

ViacomCBS-owned AVOD Pluto TV has announced partnerships with TiVo and Verizon that will see its linear and on demand programming added to the companies’ respective platforms.

Announced in October 2019, TiVo+ is the company’s attempt to break into the live streaming space, with the offer of “thousands of movies and TV shows” in an app-free environment for TiVo customers.

This latest partnership will bring more than 50,000 hours of content from Pluto to TiVo+ on the company’s UHD media device TiVo EDGE, and the upcoming low-cost TiVo Stream 4K streaming stick. The AVOD will join content providers such as XUMO and Jukin Media on TiVo+.

TiVo president and CEO Dave Shull said: “We launched TiVo+ because we wanted to bring entertainment together in one easy place for viewers, and this partnership allows viewers to easily discover an awesome array of 50,000 hours of free programming from Pluto TV via TiVo+. Now we can definitively say we’re catering to everyone’s tastes and preferences, making finding, watching and enjoying something they love easier than ever before.”

Pluto TV CEO Tom Ryan said: “Launching Pluto TV in an integrated way with TiVo aligns perfectly with our goal to provide a friction-free viewer experience with our distribution partners. Today, over 22 million people a month in the US tune in to stream our programming which spans across all genres of movies, news, TV shows, sports, and documentaries, and we look forward to reaching many more together as part of the TiVo+ video network.”

A spokesperson for Pluto TV has also confirmed to Digital TV Europe that it has signed a ‘first-of-its-kind’ distribution deal with US operator Verizon.

The deal will see Pluto have placement across Verizon’s wireless network and its connected TV platforms.

The spokesperson provided a statement that said: “Pluto TV and Verizon have entered into an agreement marking the ad-supported video on-demand industry’s first truly comprehensive, multi-platform partnership, spanning pay TV, connected television, and mobile.”

While Verizon is the largest mobile operator in the US, it is not looking to launch its own streaming service, unlike competing operators AT&T and Comcast. Instead, Verizon is leaning on deals with existing platform holders, with this deal with Pluto following a high-profile agreement with Disney for distribution of Disney+.